Chalkbeat

Memphis schools budget earns approval after more than a month of delay

2026-08-11T20:38:14+00:00

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The Shelby County Commission voted 7-4 Monday to approve Memphis schools’ budget for the 2026-27 year, over a month after the usual decision deadline.

During the meeting, Commissioner Michael Whaley said the delay came from “redundancies” in the budget approval process that he plans to change. He said Memphis-Shelby County board members first sent their proposal to commission leadership rather than individual commissioners, causing a delay.

The commission then sent the budget back to MSCS with an amendment that moved $11.9 million into the district’s deferred maintenance budget instead of setting the money aside for a new Treadwell K-8 School, as Mayor Lee Harris initially proposed. The local board approved that version in its meeting last month.

MSCS board members first approved the $1.7 billion budget at the end of May, on the brink of a state takeover that would strip them of the independent power to approve budgets for the next four years. The budget includes bonuses for teachers who fill high-need positions and around $200 million for building repairs.

A federal judge temporarily blocked MSCS’ state-appointed oversight board from taking control of district operations at the end of June. But Memphis students have been back in the classroom for over a week, and the budget was meant to be finalized by July 1.

Some commissioners criticized MSCS officials for not sending a representative to answer questions at Monday’s meeting, though Whaley said MSCS was not responsible for the budget delays.

“I just simply can’t support it if there’s no one here to advocate it,” said Commissioner Mick Wright. “It’s really a shame.”

Wright voted against MSCS’ budget, alongside Commissioners Britney Thornton, Amber Mills, and Brandon Morrison.

But Commissioner Henri Brooks, who voted to pass the budget, said her colleagues’ criticism of MSCS officials was becoming personal and urged them to stop “browbeating” district leaders.

“We have a constitutional responsibility to fund education,” she said.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis’ first day of school by the numbers: enrollment improves, but teacher vacancies stagnate

2026-08-03T23:08:48+00:00

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Everything looked business as usual for the first day of school at Hawkins Mill Elementary, a Memphis public school tucked in a woodsy Frayser neighborhood.

Students lined the halls wearing customary white and red. The garden out back sprouted almost ripe tomatoes and eggplants. Posters featuring the school mascot — a hawk, of course — decorated the walls.

But the environment was new to some students, who were rezoned to Hawkins after their neighborhood school closed in the spring. Five Memphis-Shelby County schools shut down at the end of last year, sending over 1,200 students to new buildings on Monday.

Hawkins Mill was the third stop on Superintendent Roderick Richmond’s first-day tour, which also included Westwood High, newly expanded to include students from the closed Chickasaw Middle, and Kirby Middle School, which returned to district control this year from the failed state-run Achievement School District.

“We want to make sure those schools are off to a good start,” Richmond said Monday.

MSCS leaders are facing increased scrutiny this year as the state takeover of Tennessee’s largest public school district continues to play out in federal court. If the takeover is upheld by the judge, a nine-member oversight board appointed by Tennessee Republicans would be charged with improving academic performance and district operations by seizing control of key decisions like budgeting and school closures.

Superintendent Roderick Richmond toured four MSCS schools on Monday to kick off the 2026-27 academic year.

Richmond plans to shutter up to 10 more schools in the next two years, citing high building repair costs and chronic underenrollment as the driving factors. MSCS enrollment declined by over 9% in the past decade, far outpacing state trends.

Kirby and Hillcrest, the district’s two newest additions, have not yet reached enrollment capacity. Kirby has 346 students registered out of 425 seats, while Hillcrest has 311 students registered out of 420 seats, Stacey Davis, the district’s enrollment manager, said.

But MSCS’ overall enrollment is slightly higher this year, at nearly 106,000 as of Monday morning. That’s a couple thousand more than last year’s early number of just over 103,000 but below the district’s projections for this year, Richmond said.

Teacher vacancies stayed relatively steady from the beginning of last school year to this year. Richmond said Monday that around 300 teaching positions are empty, with offers out for 70 of those roles. That leaves about 230 vacancies without pending offers, compared with 226 last August.

“So if we start to add and subtract, I think we’re on pace where we’d like to be,” Richmond said, despite missing his goal of having fewer than 100 vacancies by the start of this year.

As it did last year, the district is filling teacher vacancies with virtual instructors hired through a $4.7 million contract with Proximity Learning. The contract, reapproved in May, paid for close to 100 virtual instructors in the 2025-26 school year, according to district documents.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

State takeover, an audit and more school closures: Five Memphis stories to watch as classes begin

2026-07-30T12:00:00+00:00

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Memphis students return to class Monday as the question of who will lead district operations this year continues to play out in federal court.

Tennessee Republicans are fighting to establish a state-appointed oversight board to take control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which could bring significant changes to the district curriculum and budget. The board would be tasked with improving key district metrics including chronic absenteeism and state reading and math test proficiency.

MSCS leaders have also committed to addressing those two issues, while likely ushering in a new wave of school closures and responding to a state-ordered forensic audit. The final results found $53 million of potential waste or abuse spending from 2021 to 2024.

Here are five important storylines to watch as the 2026-27 school year begins.

The MSCS state takeover saga continues

At the end of June, a federal judge temporarily blocked the state takeover of MSCS the day before nine oversight board members were set to take office.

It was an early win for the Memphis schools and local government officials who filed a lawsuit challenging the takeover as unconstitutional and against the federal Civil Rights Act. But there isn’t a court date, so MSCS’ leadership remains in limbo going into the school year.

Two local parent advocacy groups, Memphis Lift and the new Together4Students, are pushing for MSCS to drop the lawsuit and spend the $200,000 allocated by the Shelby County Commission for legal counsel on students instead.

If reinstated, the oversight board would gain sweeping authority over the district, stripping power from the local school board. State members would have final say over charter school approvals and school closures and could appoint a new superintendent. They would also need to approve any district spending over $50,000.

Takeover advocates and oversight members have long upheld Houston’s 2023 school intervention as a model for Memphis. There, teachers had to reapply for their jobs, and students faced a new curriculum. Test scores and school performance improved slightly, though some Memphis experts argue Houston’s metrics for success are not the same as in Memphis.

More school closures are likely

Some MSCS students will report to new schools next week after the district shuttered five buildings at the end of last school year: Frayser-Corning, Georgian Hills, and Lucy Elementary; Chickasaw Middle; and Ida B. Wells Academy.

Those decisions were met with backlash from Memphis families and educators, which caused the district to transfer Ida B. Wells programming into a different building instead of getting rid of it entirely.

District leaders cited chronic underenrollment and high facility repair costs as reasons for closing those schools. But the problems are far more pervasive than a handful of specific schools. In the past decade, MSCS enrollment has dropped by more than 9%. The district’s building repair costs are estimated at over $1.6 billion for the next 10 years.

In December, Superintendent Roderick Richmond said he plans to close up to 10 more schools in the next two years. It’s unclear which schools will be shut down, and the district hasn’t responded to questions about how this year’s closures have affected displaced teachers and staff.

State takeovers have historically meant more school closures. Dorsey Hopson, a former MSCS superintendent and current oversight board member, closed 17 schools during his six year tenure, and proposed 28 more the month before leaving his position in 2019.

How will MSCS respond to state forensic audit results?

Superintendent Richmond has until late August to present a corrective action plan responding to the state forensic audit results, according to a policy adopted by MSCS board members this spring.

The final results from outside firm CliftonLarsonAllen, or CLA, identified over $54 million in MSCS spending as evidence of potential fraud, waste, or abuse. Most of that spending is related to a single custodial contract in 2022 that the district has since canceled.

After looking into claims that a former chief of business operations accepted “kickbacks” from the contract decision, MSCS leaders forwarded the case to the FBI. CLA couldn’t verify the results from that investigation but did say the district officer resigned shortly after a whistleblower came forward.

CLA also identified more than $65 million in spending that violated district policies while highlighting fragmented recordkeeping systems and internal control deficiencies across multiple departments.

In April, Richmond pledged to strengthen district accountability measures and modernize document systems. According to a live tracking website, most of his goals are in progress or haven’t been started yet.

During a July 21 presentation, Richmond told board members that the district has sent a letter with expectations to each vendor identified in the audit and hosted principal training to ensure consistency in district practices.

“We welcome this scrutiny,” he said. “We intend to use every page of (the audit) to make this district stronger.”

Low reading and math scores bring double state intervention

MSCS is facing state intervention from a new law that requires accountability hearings for schools earning a D or F on the state’s report card for two or more years in a row. Under the law, districts with repeated underperformance have to implement corrective measures approved by the Tennessee Department of Education.

This spring, Memphis had 14 schools on that list. In March, MSCS leaders testified to the Tennessee State Board of Education that more than half of the teachers at those schools are working on conditional or emergency licenses.

State board members were supposed to approve corrective actions for the underperforming schools in May, triggering a collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Education to implement recommended changes. It’s unclear what those recommendations are.

But the district informed the State Board in March it had begun implementing standardized, scripted lesson plans at those schools and sending regional superintendents to do classroom checks on whether curriculum is being followed.

MSCS students are improving on standardized reading tests year over year, but continue to fall behind statewide proficiency rates. And the district struggles with math, especially in middle school. Last year, only 15.7% of MSCS sixth graders passed the math TCAP.

Chief Academics Officer Angela Whitelaw said the district will spread techniques it used to boost high school math rates to lower grades this year. That includes creating standardized lesson plans, investing in teacher training, and concentrating academic coaches in struggling schools.

Those are similar strategies used by local charter schools, which have seen significant gains in math achievement since the COVID-19 pandemic.

MSCS absenteeism is down, but the work isn’t done

Alongside academic underperformance, MSCS’ history of high chronic absenteeism is one of four criteria that triggered the controversial state takeover. Just over 30% of MSCS students were chronically absent in the 2024-25 school year, meaning they missed 18 or more days of school. Statewide, 18.3% of students hit that mark.

But Memphis school leaders say they’re confident that chronic absenteeism rates dropped last year for the first time since 2017. Stacey Davis, MSCS’ attendance officer, attributes that success to a neighborhood door-knocking campaign that allows staff to speak directly to parents.

She also said attendance liaisons are key to that success, making daily phone calls when a student is absent and tracking attendance data. This year, MSCS’ 69 attendance specialists will be sent to low-performing schools full-time, she said, instead of being split among multiple buildings.

Davis said she hopes that targeted support will reduce absenteeism in schools with particularly high rates, especially high school, where 40% of students were on track to be chronically absent in February.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Chicago Public Schools graduation rates hit record high, data show

2023-10-31T19:01:51+00:00

A greater share of Chicago Public Schools students graduated last school year than in 2022, reaching a new record, officials announced Tuesday.

The graduation rate of 84% — representing students who graduated in four years — was 1.1 percentage points higher than the graduation rate for the Class of 2022, when 82.9% of high school students graduated on time. The dropout rate for the Class of 2023 was slightly higher at 9.4% than it was for the Class of 2022, which saw 8.9% of students drop out between freshman year and graduation.

Chicago Public Schools’ five-year graduation rate for the Class of 2022 — which includes students who take extra time to finish their diploma either at a traditional or alternative school — was 85.6%, 1.6 percentage points higher than for the class of 2021 when it was 84%.

District officials announced the numbers with fanfare at Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts, with CPS CEO Pedro Martinez flanked by Mayor Brandon Johnson and joined virtually by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

Martinez said the rising graduation rate was a sign that the district is continuing to recover from the pandemic, reminding the audience that the students in the Class of 2023 were freshmen as the pandemic started in 2020, followed by two school years of remote and hybrid learning.

“When you think about their last year, their senior year, was probably their most normal year, I want you to take these results and put them in that context,” Martinez said.

Cardona described the graduation rates as “promising signs for the future of education in Chicago.” He highlighted the district’s use of federal COVID relief dollars, which CPS has put toward several purposes, including covering teacher salaries and hiring more instructional staff.

The announcement came one day after Illinois state education officials released statewide data, including graduation rates that had also increased across Illinois. (The state and Chicago Public Schools calculate graduation rates differently, so Chalkbeat is unable to provide direct comparisons.)

Chicago’s graduation rate has steadily increased over time, hitting a record high in 2022 even as students have faced academic challenges connected to the pandemic. Tuesday’s announcement comes on the heels of another report that found a rising share of CPS students are enrolling in college.

Racial disparities among graduates still remain, though they are narrowing. Graduation rates increased for Black, Hispanic and Asian American students, while dropping slightly for white students — by .4 percentage points — compared to the Class of 2022. Rates also dropped for multiracial students by 5.7 percentage points.

Nearly 75% of Black boys graduated in four years, up from roughly 65% five years ago, according to district data.

Despite higher graduation rates, SAT scores dipped for the Class of 2023, to an average composite score of 914. The average score for the Class of 2022 was 927, according to district data. Separately, the district also saw slightly fewer ninth graders — 88.7% — who were on track to graduate by 2026. That’s compared to 88.8% of the class that’s one year older than them.

As the pandemic set in, the district relaxed some grading policies, as did other school systems across the nation — raising questions about how such policies may have contributed to CPS’s rising graduation rates. Martinez argued that an increase in students completing college-level credits was a sign students were held to a high standard. Just under half of the Class of 2023 earned early college credits, a 5% increase from 2022, according to the district.

One of those students is Zaid Orduño, who said at Tuesday’s press conference that he took college-level courses at Daley College during his time at Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy, through the district’s Early College Program. His classes at Daley included English, math, sociology, and psychology, and he ultimately earned an associate’s degree alongside his high school diploma.

Taking those classes, he said, inspired him to pass up his original plan of joining his family’s construction business and instead pursue a civil engineering degree at Illinois Tech, he said.

A wall at Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts is dedicated to remembering a hunger strike held in 2015 to demand for the reopening of Dyett, which was closed at the time.

Dyett, located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side, saw its graduation rate tick up by more than 3 percentage points, to 86%. Johnson noted how far the school had come since he and other community members participated in a highly publicized hunger strike in 2015 to demand that Dyett, then shuttered, reopen. He also recognized fellow hunger striker Ald. Jeanette Taylor, who now represents the neighborhood nearby in City Council and serves as the chair of the Committee on Education and Child Development.

“A hunger striker can turn into a mayor and an alderman, and more importantly, a hunger strike can lead to the success that we are experiencing with our students right here at Dyett High School,” Johnson said.

He also used the moment to once again advocate for expanding the Sustainable Community Schools Initiative that Dyett and 19 other schools are a part of. The program partners schools with a nonprofit that provides wraparound services for students and families.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

After first week of classes, hundreds of Chicago students with disabilities waiting for bus routes

2023-08-29T17:50:44+00:00

A week into the new school year, hundreds of Chicago students with disabilities were still waiting to receive bus service, officials said.

A total of 733 students with disabilities, who are legally entitled to transportation under federal law, were waiting for bus service as of Monday, according to a spokesperson for Chicago Public Schools. Additionally, 10 students living in temporary housing, who are also legally entitled to transportation, had yet to be assigned to routes.

Lacking half of the drivers it needs, the district decided this year to limit bus transportation to students with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness. These students can alternatively choose to receive stipends of up to $500 a month to cover transportation costs, which families of close to 3,270 children have done, the district said. The district is continuing to receive new requests for transportation, a spokesperson said.

For the families who haven’t accepted the stipends, the lack of bus service can be challenging, especially for students with disabilities who have varying needs. Working parents may not have the flexibility to drive their kids to school, and taking public transportation may also not be feasible.

The district said its policy is to pair students with routes within two weeks of their request, and it appears to be making progress. As of Thursday last week, 1,045 students with disabilities were waiting for a seat on a bus — about 300 more than the number at the start of this week. The district has also shrunk travel times for most students with disabilities, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez announced at last week’s board meeting.

However, that progress is happening as the district said it would not provide bus service this year to other students, including those attending selective enrollment and magnet schools. Those students have instead been offered Ventra cards, including another card for a companion, such as a parent.

Parents of some of those children, who are also struggling to accommodate their children’s commutes, sharply criticized the decision during a Chicago Board of Education meeting last week.

In an interview with Chalkbeat, Board President Jianan Shi said he understands “the challenges that this has on families.” But he believes the district is doing better, citing the improvement in commute times for students with disabilities, as well as the district’s efforts to address the driver shortage by planning to boost pay.

“CPS has the responsibility to serve our students with special needs and our students experiencing homelessness, and I believe we are doing that,” Shi said.

During last week’s meeting, chief operating officer Charles Mayfield said that even as the district has employed marginally more drivers, it has received more transportation requests. As of Aug. 19, the district employed 678 bus drivers, 22 more than it did at roughly the same time last year, a spokesperson said. The district has received just over 1,000 more requests for transportation as of this August compared to last year.

This is at least the third year that Chicago Public Schools has struggled to provide bus transportation for all students who are typically eligible. Last year around this time, roughly 3,000 students with disabilities were on routes that were longer than an hour, while more than 1,800 had not been routed, officials said.

The Illinois State Board of Education has taken notice of these issues. In 2021, state officials placed the district on a corrective action plan to ensure it was providing bus service to all students with disabilities whose Individualized Education Programs called for it. One year later, the state instituted a second corrective action plan to shorten commutes for students with disabilities.

Chicago bureau chief Becky Vevea contributed.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

8,000 Chicago Public Schools students won’t have bus service on first day of school, district says

2023-07-31T23:43:11+00:00

More than 8,000 Chicago Public Schools students will not have bus service on the first day of class on Aug. 21, a problem the district blames on an ongoing bus driver shortage.

With only half of the 1,300 drivers needed to transport students who require bus service, Chicago said it will instead prioritize transportation for students with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness. Both groups are legally required to receive transportation to school.

For some students with disabilities, bus service is a requirement on their Individualized Education Programs. More than 7,100 such students have signed up for bus service so far, officials said. (Siblings of students with disabilities can still receive bus service if they attend the same school.)

This is the third year in a row in which the return to class has been marred by transportation woes that have left thousands of students without transportation or with long commutes. The district, which contracts with outside companies to provide transportation, has attributed bus service snarls in previous years to nationwide driver shortages.

In an effort to help fix ongoing transportation problems, the district in March approved a $4 million contract with Education Logistics Inc., known as EduLog, to schedule bus routes, determine start times for summer school and assign bus vendors during the school year. The contract is set to run through June 30, 2026.

This year, in the face of continued bus service troubles, the district will instead offer Ventra cards to general education students and one companion, such as a parent, “for as long as they are without school bus transportation,” according to a news release from Chicago. These families may have the option to get bus service “at some point” in the school year but the timing for that is not yet clear, said Charles Mayfield, chief operating officer for Chicago Public Schools.

Last year, Chicago provided bus service to 17,275 children, or about 5% of students.

“There’s been a nationwide shortage, and I think that is not an easy thing for any K-12 [district] right now,” Mayfield said Monday in an interview with Chalkbeat. “Even if you Google search bus driver shortage, you get a number of school districts that have the same issue that we’re having today and they are making adjustments similar to where we are, to try to provide alternatives.”

As of Friday, the district said it could guarantee bus service on the first day of school for students with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness, after Chicago twice extended a sign-up deadline this summer, Mayfield said. But it can’t guarantee immediate service for families who sign up now. The district is required to link those families to bus service within two weeks of their request for transportation.

As an alternative, CPS is offering families of students with disabilities and those in temporary housing up to $500 in monthly stipends to cover transportation costs. So far, 3,000 students have chosen this option, officials said.

The continuing transportation issues have Chicago parent Laurie Viets bracing for yet another chaotic start to the school year. Two of her three children have district-provided bus service written into their Individualized Education Programs.

This year, she said the district has been more proactive since parents have raised concerns about bus services issues over the past few years. Over the summer, Viets received a couple of phone calls from the district asking if she would like to take the $500 stipend, but she declined. She said she prefers that the district provide bus service for her children.

Viets only learned the district had yet to figure out routes for students when she talked to a district representative last week.

“I have no hopes at all that transportation will show up,” said Viets. “I’ve got three kids, three separate schools in three different parts of the city. We’re going to be scrambling to get the two that need transportation to school because I guarantee we will not have transport on that first day.”

It is a familiar scenario for Viets – last year, she said she couldn’t get transportation for one of her children for about six weeks – and for thousands of other CPS families.

In the 2021-22 school year, when students returned to classrooms after COVID shuttered buildings, the district did not have bus services for 2,100 students on the first day of classes. At the time, the district provided families with $1,000 to help with transportation and even reached out to ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft for support.

At the start of the next school year, the district was able to route 15,000 Chicago Public Schools students to classes but hundreds of students with disabilities dealt with long commute times. At the time, the district reported that 365 students with disabilities had to deal with commute times of 90 minutes or longer and could not arrange transportation for 1,200 students.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

Samantha Smylie is the state education reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering school districts across the state, legislation, special education, and the state board of education. Contact Samantha at ssmylie@chalkbeat.org.

New York wants to revamp how schools are evaluated. Here’s what could change for now.

2023-06-22T16:45:25+00:00

How does the state determine whether schools are doing well or if they are struggling and need extra support?

Before the pandemic, state officials relied on standardized tests and high school Regents exams to figure out how well students were doing, along with other factors, such as graduation rates. But the public health crisis paused state testing and affected school performance metrics in other ways.

Now, education department officials are seeking a new, temporary evaluation system for the next two school years, with the hopes of creating something more permanent for the 2025-26 school year.

If a school is found to be struggling, it is required to develop an improvement plan that must be approved by local and state officials. Schools that don’t make progress for five years could face state takeover or closure — but it’s a route that state officials rarely took even before developing the current accountability system, which is meant to be less punitive for schools.

In the short term, over the next two years, state officials want to exclude certain science and social studies exams, as well as measures for student growth and college and career readiness, when deciding which schools need improvement. These changes are necessary, officials say, because schools are still missing a trove of data, such as enough student participation in state tests, because of the pandemic.

Already, the conversation is sparking some controversy. Some groups focused on education reform believe the move represents a step backward just as schools need more help as they recover from the pandemic. Other observers believe the state’s proposed plan is reasonable.

Ultimately, the federal government must sign off on these proposed changes, since the state’s accountability system is required by federal law and is written into New York’s federally required Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, plan.

“They’re doing a decent job of balancing what’s of interest in the state and the federal ESSA requirements, and incorporating all the instability and uncertainty that came with the slowdown of testing during the pandemic,” said Aaron Pallas, a professor at Teachers College and an expert in testing.

But Education-Trust New York, an advocacy organization focused on equity issues, worried that several of the proposed changes could mean masking “bright spots and disparities,” according to their written public feedback to the state.

“I think these next two school years are incredibly important for kids coming out of the pandemic,” said Jeff Smink, the group’s deputy director, in an interview with Chalkbeat. “We have to both give them all the support they need but also hold them to high standards, and I just don’t feel like we’re doing that right now.”

What metrics would still be used?

Under the state’s proposal, schools will still be measured on English language proficiency (based on a state language exam for English learners), graduation rates, how well students are doing in core subjects based on Regents and state test scores, and chronic absenteeism. In New York City, chronic absenteeism has been a pressing issue, with 41% of students last school year absent for at least 10 school days.

What do state officials want to ditch (for now)?

The state wants to put a pause on measuring academic progress based on certain goals for student scores on state English and math tests.

State officials say they want to update these goals — first set in the 2017-18 school year — before they use them to determine whether schools are struggling.

The state’s proposed plan would also pause the use of “Measures of Interim Progress,” which more broadly measures whether schools are meeting goals for academics and other things, like their graduation rates.

For elementary and middle schools, officials want to pause how they’ve been measuring student growth, largely because of the lack of testing data. Typically, they calculated student growth using three years of testing data, but the pandemic caused big disruptions: For example, just one in five New York City children took state exams in the 2020-21 school year, when most children chose to learn from home.

For high schools, officials won’t consider college, career, and civic readiness metrics, which include advanced coursework or extra credentials in specialized jobs-based courses. That’s because the pandemic may have hampered students’ access to some of these programs or courses, officials said. They also worried that the pandemic’s impact on learning may have caused students to perform worse academically than they otherwise would have, such as on AP exams.

What will the state do with data, even if it’s not being used to evaluate schools?

State officials still plan to provide all of this data to schools for “informational purposes only” for the next two school years, they said.

Why do state officials want to exclude elementary school science exams and high school social studies assessments?

Science tests would be excluded because the state has changed who must take those exams. Traditionally, students in fourth and eighth grades take the state science test. However, only eighth graders took the test this school year, as the state prepares to offer the exam next year to fifth graders instead of fourth graders. That means they won’t be able to compare results equitably across elementary and middle schools that have different grade configurations.

Fifth graders will take the exam next spring. Asked why those scores won’t be taken into account for the 2024-25 school year, a spokesperson said that it allows districts to have “consistency and predictability” for now, as they attempt to rebuild the accountability system.

While calling it a “logical” move, Ed-Trust argued that excluding science tests “undermines the importance of science education” and worried schools will have less reason to focus on it. The organization suggested that the state should instead work with local districts to “ensure a smooth transition” to the new science assessments without entirely removing it as one way to measure student performance.

On the high school level, officials want to pause using social studies tests because of multiple exam cancellations in recent years. The state looks at cohorts of students, such as the graduating class of 2023, when considering how they performed on these tests, namely the Regents exams for Global History and Geography and U.S. History and Government.

But students who will graduate this year couldn’t take Regents exams in 2021, when they were in 10th grade, because of the pandemic. U.S. History and Government exams were also canceled last year, when these students were juniors, in the wake of a mass shooting in Buffalo, with the state education department claiming there was material on the exam that could “compound student trauma.”

State officials have emphasized that this plan “in no way diminishes” the importance of science or social studies instruction.

How will schools be labeled if they need support?

The lowest performing schools are known as schools in need of Comprehensive Support and Improvement, or CSI. But the state won’t list new CSI schools until the 2025-26 school year because they identified a group of such schools this year under a tweaked system, and that process only happens every three years, officials said.

A total of 139 New York City schools were identified this year as in need of some level of improvement, with 83% of them listed as CSI schools, according to state data.

However, New York will identify schools for Targeted Support and Intervention, or TSI, next year, which must happen annually per federal law. Those are schools that aren’t meeting goals set for specific student groups, such as by race, economic status, and those with disabilities.

In one recent — and perhaps confusing — change, schools that are meeting or exceeding their goals are no longer called “Schools in Good Standing” and instead are now labeled by the state as schools identified for Local Support and Improvement, or LSI.

What will happen for the 2025-26 school year?

State officials plan to revamp the accountability system for the 2025-26 school year after collecting feedback from the public. The new plan will also incorporate any changes to the state’s graduation requirements, which could come as soon as the end of this year. The education department is rethinking the role of Regents exams in graduation, among other considerations.

Pallas said that the plan for the 2025-26 school year and beyond would still have to meet federal ESSA requirements and earn the buy-in of school district leaders — meaning that it likely won’t be “a dramatic break from the past.”

“It’s gotta be something that feels progressive but also comfortable,” Pallas said.

Thomas Wilburn contributed.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City public schools. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

As NYC is expected to spend $38K per student, budget watchdog calls for prioritizing ‘critical services’

2023-04-11T04:01:00+00:00

Buoyed in recent years by billions in federal stimulus dollars, New York City is slated to spend about $38,000 per student next school year — the most in recent history — as enrollment is again expected to drop, according to a new report published Tuesday.

The report, from Citizens Budget Commission, or CBC, a budget watchdog group, comes as the education department faces 3% in cuts for next year. Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council are in the middle of budget planning for the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1.

Many of the CBC’s findings focus on the period from fiscal year 2016 through 2022, since the current fiscal year, 2023, isn’t over yet. Some of the report’s highlights include:

In that time period, the education department’s spending per pupil has increased by 47%, in large part due to the $7 billion in federal COVID aid the district received as enrollment has dipped. Three school years from now, in fiscal year 2026, CBC projects the city could be spending as much as $44,000 per student.
Spending grew the most in three areas: early childhood education, at 65%, covering private school tuition, such as for students with disabilities, by 79%, and for charter schools, by 84%. This was fueled by enrollment growth in these specific areas.
Spending related to schools, such as for instruction, grew by about 34%. Spending on school services, such as transportation, food, and safety, grew at a similar rate.
Spending on school support, such as special education instructional costs, grew by about 15%. And spending on central costs, including central administration, fringe benefits, pension contributions, and debt service, saw the slowest growth – by 8%.

CBC called for officials to prioritize programs and services for next year that are most effective and shed others. It also notes that the city faces financial pressures over the next several years, which the Adams administration has also emphasized as they’ve imposed stricter savings targets on city agencies. Those challenges include labor costs that will stem from new union contracts, including with the United Federation of Teachers, and a potential recession.

“We can’t do everything for everyone, so we need to start focusing on the most impactful interventions,” said Ana Champeny, the vice president for research at the Citizens Budget Commission.

New York City spends the most per pupil among the nation’s largest school districts. That cost grew as federal dollars were poured into the school system and enrollment dropped significantly after the onset of the pandemic. Dips in enrollment are likely due to several factors, including demographic changes and the cost of living in New York, which are leading many families to find homes elsewhere.

Roughly one-third of the department’s spending growth between 2016 and 2022 was due to federal pandemic aid, which is set to run out by 2024, CBC’s report found.

Advocates and educators have decried the potential cuts to the education department — amounting up to $421 million — as students continue to struggle with a host of challenges, including mental health, chronic absenteeism, and recovering academically after remote learning. Cuts to school budgets this school year resulted in some schools losing teachers, having larger class sizes, and cutting some programming, such as art and music classes.

Research has found that more money usually leads to better schools. New York, however, is in a puzzling situation: Despite being the leading state in spending per pupil, students score in the middle of the pack on national math and reading tests.

It’s possible to make cuts through central or support costs, such as through transportation contracts, and “avoid cuts to school budgets,” the CBC report notes.

While CBC doesn’t make specific recommendations, Champeny said such cuts could mean negotiating cheaper transportation-related contracts. The department could also look for ways to reduce private school placements for children with disabilities, commonly known as “Carter Cases,” a cost that ballooned under former Mayor Bill de Blasio and continues to grow.

More immediately, however, the group called on the department to be “transparent” about the future of a slate of programs that are currently relying on federal pandemic relief, which other organizations and advocates have also pressed for. These programs include expanded summer school, new prekindergarten seats for students with disabilities, and screening for dyslexia and other literacy programs – an area that Adams is increasingly making one of his signature projects.

Nathaniel Styer, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said, “This Administration has been open and honest about the long-term combined challenges of declining enrollment, programs funded by one-time federal stimulus dollars, and rising costs tied to unfunded mandates from the State.”

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City public schools. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

As family homelessness climbs, calls grow louder for solving school attendance woes

2022-12-12T11:00:00+00:00

Nine-year-old Ameerah remembers when her commute to school was a five-minute walk. That was before her family left their Queens home for a shelter in another part of the borough.

During the year they lived in the shelter, Ameerah was at the bus stop with her mom and sister at 6:30 a.m., commuting at least 45 minutes on two buses and two trains. They often returned nearly 12 hours later, her mom said, and the girls were sometimes too tired to complete their homework in the evenings.

“My legs, sometimes they hurt. My backpack, it’s heavy,” Ameerah said during one of her bus rides last spring when she was in third grade. She fell behind in math, requiring her to go to summer school. (Chalkbeat is using pseudonyms to protect the family’s privacy.)

Last school year, nearly 30,000 New York City public school students lived in shelters. For these students, getting to school is often a problem, as many are placed far from their current schools. Nearby shelters may lack space, or if the family is in a domestic violence situation, they may be deliberately placed far from home. Shelter transfers can be hard to come by. So families must often choose between punishing commutes like Ameerah’s or transferring schools, which research shows can lead to chronic absenteeism and the need to repeat a grade.

Chronic absenteeism — often a key indicator of academic performance — is a growing problem for students citywide following the pandemic. But for homeless students, it’s a crisis: 64% of students living in shelters were chronically absent in the 2020-21 school year, meaning they were absent for at least 10% of school days, according to the most recent data obtained by Advocates For Children. That’s compared with about 30% of students citywide.

Advocates fear attendance problems could worsen as homelessness continues rising to historic levels in New York City amid rising inflation, the end of the eviction moratorium, and the threat of a recession. Additionally, an influx of asylum-seeking students from South America have entered the shelter system. Last month, more than 12,100 families with children were in shelters run by the Department of Homeless Services, compared with roughly 8,500 in November 2021.

Ameerah’s family had little help navigating the shelter system and their school-related transportation needs, they said. This left her mom, Huma, an immigrant from Pakistan who sometimes struggled with English, to wade through bureaucracy while trying to work enough hours to qualify for subsidized housing. Many advocates believe that families can benefit from having a dedicated, shelter-based coordinator to support them and have been pushing the city to hire such staffers for the past year.

By June, the city had committed to hiring 100 such coordinators — 75 of them funded for the next two years with about $17 million of the $33 million in federal relief money earmarked for homeless students, according to Advocates For Children. (The education department declined to share how much the initiative would cost.)

But in the nearly five months since then, the city has hired just 45 of these coordinators, with another 33 in the hiring process, according to an education department spokesperson, who declined multiple times to explain why there has been a delay.

Dozens of advocacy organizations had originally called for 150 of these staffers, given that the city has more than 160 family shelters serving children. But now they’re concerned that the city hasn’t yet hired all of these staffers and are wondering what happens when the relief dollars run out in two years.

They also note that the problems go deeper than such a role can address and intersect with a variety of systemic issues, large and small, from intergenerational poverty to transportation issues.

Historically, there has been a failure to cooperate and minimize disruptions to students’ schooling between the multiple agencies connected to homeless children, including the education department and homeless services, said Jennifer Pringle, director of Project Learning In Temporary Housing at Advocates for Children.

This moment, in particular, is critical for figuring out solutions, said Pringle, whose organization is one of more than three dozen calling for an inter-agency task force focused on how to tackle a slew of issues, including reducing chronic absenteeism among homeless students.

“This is an opportunity to figure out, OK, as families are coming in, how can we make sure that kids are connected with school, connected with their peers, with their teachers,” Pringle said, “so that while the family is going through this process and ultimately finds permanent housing, the kids’ education doesn’t get derailed.”

One of Huma’s daughters holds on to a pole on a city bus during her commute to school.

Transportation from shelters to schools remains difficult

A longstanding federal law attempts to create some stability for students who become homeless. Under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, later expanded in 2001, school districts are required to provide transportation to and from a child’s “school of origin,” or the school they attended before becoming homeless.

But in vast New York City, students crossing between boroughs may have hours-long commutes between shelter and school. In response to news reports in 2017, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged to ensure more families were placed in the same borough as their youngest child’s school.

His administration began to deliver on that promise. In 2018, about half of families were initially placed in shelters located in the same borough as their youngest child’s school. By last fiscal year, that grew by 11 percentage points, to three in every five families — including Huma’s.

But even a shelter placement in the same borough can mean a challenging commute to school.

When there are school attendance issues, many shelter providers’ default position is to encourage families to change schools, Pringle said, rather than to revisit shelter placements and try to move families closer to their schools.

“In a city where we have so many shelter locations, the needs of children are not being prioritized as a part of this process,” she said.

For its part, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Services said their teams, along with the Department of Homeless Services, reach out to families in shelters “with longer commutes to schools, offering them shelter placements close to their youngest school-aged child’s school.” Last fiscal year, 75% of families were in shelters in the same borough as their youngest child’s school; however, advocates noted that it’s unclear how much of that reflects children transferring schools instead of shelters.

When Ameerah’s family moved into one of New York City’s family shelters in April 2021, they had escaped what Huma described as an emotionally abusive home she had endured for many years. Adjusting to the shelter was tough. Even after the girls managed to fall asleep while sharing a bed in the small roach-infested room, the shelter’s 9 p.m. bed-check often woke them up.

Huma’s case worker had asked where she wanted the children to attend school when they first entered the shelter. She thought that transferring schools felt disruptive, as the girls were returning to school for the first time since the onset of the pandemic while adjusting to a new, strange place.

“My kids, the big one especially, she is so sensitive now because of all this stuff,” Huma said, noting that they’d moved several times in the past. “She said, ‘I’m so tired from moving, every single time I change my school, but this time I don’t want to change my school. I like my school.’”

And for her younger daughter, arriving at school each day felt like a silver lining. She enjoyed seeing her friends and said that “time goes a little bit faster there.”

After exiting their final bus, Huma and her younger daughter walk to her school.

Transferring schools can have significant drawbacks for students without stable housing. One study from 2015 found that New York City students who transferred schools were more likely to be chronically absent, missing at least 10% of school days. Chronically absent homeless children were three times more likely to repeat the same grade, compared to their homeless peers who missed fewer than five days of school, that report found.

Students in shelters in kindergarten through sixth grade are eligible for bus transportation to their schools, no matter where they are. Older students, like Huma’s eldest daughter, Ayaneh, who was about to start seventh grade, receive a MetroCard, though some seventh and eighth graders can get busing on a case-by-case basis, such as if they have a disability. But Huma, who felt that Ayaneh wasn’t yet ready to take public transportation on her own, said this information wasn’t shared with her until weeks into the school year. (The city’s yellow bus system is also notoriously problematic, and a recent City Council report found that service delays have been higher this fall than the past five years.)

After Huma called the girls’ schools for more information on busing, school staff directed her to a general education department telephone line for transportation issues, she said. She didn’t call it.

“I said, ‘I just need the answer if you’re not providing a bus,’” she said of shelter staff. “They just kept promising it, but it never came.”

Huma didn’t trust that calling the education department would solve her issues. That might be why officials there said they did not have records of transportation issues or complaints related to her children.

Navigating the shelter system feels like a second job

There are 117 “family assistants” working across shelters, who are supposed to inform families about their school transportation rights, provide route information, and help with enrollment. But those employees don’t work year-round and often are not equipped to untangle more complicated problems, such as why a child may be chronically absent, advocates said.

The newly added shelter-based community coordinators would have broader responsibilities and are expected to proactively reach out to families living in shelters. They’re supposed to ensure students are getting to class, helping families navigate problems with transportation and enrollment using data compiled by the city. The education department is also using stimulus funds to better track homeless student attendance in hopes of working with shelters to address chronic absenteeism.

“There should be support services for families both at the shelter and at school that can help them with issues they might be facing, especially if there are attendance issues,” said Jacquelyn Simone, policy director for Coalition for the Homeless, an organization that advocates on behalf of homeless New Yorkers. “If someone is struggling to get to school, and it’s the proximity of the shelter to the school, then there should be, in an ideal world, a team that would identify the issue.”

At 6:30 a.m. on a day this past spring, people line up to board a bus in Queens.

Bus service eventually was set up for Ameerah by October of last year, a few weeks into the school year, Huma said. Ultimately, she decided against it because it no longer made sense. She would still need to accompany Ayaneh to school — and she would need to be with both girls to get back to the shelter since minors can’t go inside without a parent or guardian. This would prove a complicated juggling act as Huma tried to increase her work hours.

Like all shelter residents, Huma was eligible to apply for rental assistance after 90 days of her placement, but she needed to work at least 30 hours a week. After months of struggling to find employment, she took a job as a home health aide. Her job locations frequently changed, which made it more challenging to coordinate her daughters’ transportation to school, she said.

Meanwhile, Huma had been told that she needed a more stable work schedule in order to meet the qualifications for rental assistance.

Catherine Trapani, executive director of Homeless Services United, said she’s often found parents who struggle to meet their required number of work hours while also taking care of other responsibilities and following all shelter rules, such as ensuring children are accompanied at the shelter.

“It’s very difficult to get your employment in with that schedule, plus your obligations to cart your children to and from school, particularly if you don’t have a robust network of support,” Trapani said.

In a sign that job requirements had become too burdensome to qualify for the city’s rental subsidy requirements, city officials recently cut in half the required weekly work hours from 30 hours to 14.

The family chooses a new school, after all

After a lot of back-and-forth providing pay stubs and other employment documents, Huma was approved for subsidized rent in March of this year — seven months after her caseworker informed her that she would start the process. That was much longer than the median 26 days it took for families to receive vouchers after completing applications last year, according to the annual Mayor’s Management Report.

Huma moved her family into their own apartment in May. Nearly 5,200 homeless families found permanent housing last fiscal year, a 30% drop from the previous year, according to city data.

Their new commute still required two buses for the girls to get to school, but their travel time was cut by 20 minutes.

Huma waits for a subway train.

But the instability has not gone away. Shortly before school started, Huma had attached a $622 utility bill to the fridge, marked with a bolded “final notice.” Huma was bringing in about $450 a week, and typically had nothing left after paying rent and other bills. Food stamps help provide some respite, she said. But she left her job in October after tensions with a patient’s caregiver, and she was still looking for work in December.

They’ve acknowledged that the apartment is not perfect. Their oven broke in the fall, and her landlord hadn’t arranged for it to be fixed. Carpet curled up at the edges of the walls. Still, the family seemed happy.

“At least they have their bed and they can sleep good,” the mom said.

Ayaneh still attends her middle school from last year. Her mother said she is seeing a therapist to deal with the family issues that caused them to seek shelter in the first place.

In the end, Huma decided to change Ameerah’s school to one around the corner from their new apartment.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

Where do Hochul and Zeldin stand on education?

2022-11-07T17:29:07+00:00

On the surface, New Yorkers might assume that the state’s candidates for governor — Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican Lee Zeldin — would have polar opposite approaches to education if they were elected.

And while that likely holds true in several ways, there are still many open questions about how both would craft policy for schools.

Hochul has not focused much at all on education on the campaign trail, and while her time in office so far provides some clues, her campaign website has no details about her goals for the state’s K-12 schools beyond wanting to invest more money in them.

“As a frontrunner she has little incentive to take sharp or even very precise and specific positions, particularly on policies that are at all controversial, particularly policies that are controversial in suburbs,” said Jeffrey Henig, professor of political science and education at Columbia University’s Teachers College.

In contrast, Zeldin is “throwing everything at the wall that Republicans are trying in lots of places,” Henig said.

The congressman has proposed several priorities, such as banning “divisive concepts” from being taught in schools related to race — a talking point that conservatives across the country have embraced — but he has not provided more specifics on many of his ideas. Some of his proposals are self explanatory, such as wanting to lift the cap on how many charter schools can open in New York.

Zeldin’s campaign did not respond to questions asking to elaborate on his positions or provide more details.

As the governor’s race nears this fall, here’s what we know about where both fall on education issues:

Curriculum

Zeldin has said he would ban “divisive curriculum that pits children against one another based on race and other factors” — language that’s similar to what conservative lawmakers in other states have pushed for.

His platform does not explicitly talk about critical race theory, or CRT, which is an academic framework for studying systemic racism but has been used by Republicans as an umbrella term for diversity and inclusion efforts. Both city and state officials have said critical race theory is not taught in the city’s and state’s public schools. Both locally and statewide, officials have encouraged schools to teach culturally responsive lessons.

But Zeldin wrote in an opinion article last year that CRT was politicizing education. In it, he blasted a lengthy framework released by the state education department that encourages — but does not mandate — districts to teach culturally responsive lessons, or lessons that relate to and affirm various students’ backgrounds. The department also wants districts to consider acknowledging the role of racism in American history and create lessons that empower students to be “agents of change.”

Zeldin’s platform also calls for restricting “age-inappropriate” sex education, though it does not detail what that means, requiring financial literacy courses in public schools, and civics lessons that “teach students about how and why they get to live in the greatest nation in the history of the world.”

Still, if Zeldin were elected, it’s unlikely that he would be able to successfully ban schools from teaching about race since the state legislature is overwhelmingly Democratic and unsupportive of such policies. For example, a bill seeking to ban critical race theory in schools didn’t make it out of committee last year.

“You may see outside money and national organizations try to come in and really sort of add amplitude to those messages around parental rights and critical race theory and gender identity issues,” Henig said. “I don’t want to discount the importance of how people talk about things, but the impact on actual policy would be delayed, at best.”

So far, Hochul has not taken a strong position on what sorts of curriculum or learning standards she supports in schools. When pressed about a New York Times investigation that revealed a lack of basic lessons in core subjects, such as English, in Hasidic yeshivas, Hochul said responsibility over those private religious schools fell to the state education department, not her office. (Zeldin has been supportive of the Hasidic yeshivas, and has been courting the vote of the Orthodox and Hasidic communities, the New York Times reported.)

Asked where Hochul stands on curriculum, her campaign pointed to an ABC 7 story from May, where she said she supported a bill that would have required New York schools to teach about Asian American history. (The bill did not move out of committee.) They also pointed to a bill she signed that requires the state education department to ensure school districts are meeting requirements to teach children about the Holocaust — an idea that Zeldin also supports.

Traditional public schools vs. charter schools

Zeldin has expressed substantial support for school choice and charter schools. In fact, he first announced his education agenda last spring outside of a Success Academy school in Queens.

Zeldin supports lifting the cap on how many charter schools can open in New York, which was reached in the city in 2019. He also wants to establish “tax credits for school choice” and create education savings accounts, but doesn’t provide more details. With an education savings account, parents can withdraw their children from public schools and receive tax dollars in a restricted-use account to pay for private school or other educational options like therapy.

The state legislature so far has not supported lifting the charter cap.

Zeldin’s platform online says he wants more options for “technical grade school level learning, experience and certification,” though it’s unclear if he’s referring to career preparation programs or something else.

On the city level, Zeldin saw eye to eye with Mayor Eric Adams and Hochul on extending mayoral control of schools. And, like Adams, Zeldin also supports keeping the controversial admissions exam in place for the city’s specialized high schools, as well as “advanced and specialized” academics. He’s earned the support of some parents who favor screened admissions to the city’s public middle and high schools and “gifted and talented” programs.

During a debate with Zeldin on Oct. 25, Hochul also said she supported lifting the charter school cap, which seemed to be the first time she said that publicly. [Note: This story originally published before the debate and was updated to reflect her comment.] She’s repeatedly touted overseeing a budget that sent more state money to school districts as the result of an agreement to fully fund Foundation Aid, the state funding formula that sends more money to higher needs districts.

Hochul has taken an interest in boosting mental health resources for students, ensuring more children go to college, specifically by expanding college tuition assistance to part-time students in New York, and has attempted to address the teacher shortage by expanding alternative teacher certification programs and temporarily waiving an income cap for teacher retirees who want to return to the profession.

She also signed a popular bill that requires lower class sizes in New York City, which was celebrated by many families, the teachers union, and advocates. City officials and some conservative parent groups pushed back, arguing the mandate would pull money away from other services for students.

School budgets and enrollment

Neither Hochul nor Zeldin have addressed one of the most critical issues facing public schools: dipping enrollment.

Enrollment in traditional public schools has dropped by more than 2% nationwide since the onset of the pandemic, and by about 9.5% in New York City public schools. Changes in enrollment have big implications for school budgets that are closely tied to the number of students in classrooms. That issue is already playing out in New York City, where three-quarters of schools saw cuts in the funding that pays for staff and programs for students.

Zeldin’s education platform doesn’t address the issue. While Hochul has touted her commitment to boosting funding for public schools, she has not addressed what to do about enrollment changes across the state.

“What you see on the Hochul side is, ‘Yes, we support education, we are willing to spend more on it,’ but kind of resisting what progressive forces might want to see on the campaign, in terms of challenging basic funding formulas in ways that might not play well in wealthy or more affluent communities that would see this as redirecting state monies away from them and towards lower-income communities,” Henig said.

COVID policies

Most COVID mitigations for schools have ended, so it’s not likely that the election of either candidate would drastically change that.

Both Zeldin and Hochul have supported peeling back COVID mitigations, such as masking, with Hochul recently calling remote learning a “mistake.” But Zeldin has pushed harder to remove all sorts of mandates.

While Hochul ended mask mandates, she also oversaw sending at-home COVID tests to schools and has touted keeping schools open during a major surge in infections last winter, though in-person instruction was still severely disrupted. (She’s come under fire in recent weeks for a deal she made when choosing a vendor for those tests.)

Zeldin has opposed COVID vaccine and mask mandates. If elected, he may press Adams to drop a vaccine mandate in place for New York City schools staff. At one point, Hochul expressed support for requiring children to get COVID vaccines. The state legislature would have to pass a bill that added COVID vaccines to the list of already required shots for school children, according to the New York Times.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

Facing enrollment drop, one Bronx middle school tries its hand at marketing

2022-11-02T22:33:36+00:00

Will Frackelton held a microphone in front of dozens of his seventh and eighth graders, wriggling in their seats in the auditorium that they share with two other Bronx schools.

Students and staff from Soundview Academy for Culture and Scholarship, where Frackelton is the principal, had gathered for a town hall last month that covered school safety, high school applications, and other topics. Before dismissing them, Frackelton made an unusual request: Would they help market the school over the next two weeks?

“I know you know kids that are in middle schools that are not happy, that don’t treat them like kids,” the middle school’s leader told the students. “I got 25 spots in the sixth grade, 25 spots in the seventh grade, 25 spots in the eighth grade, and if I don’t fill them with kids in 18 days, they’re gonna ask me this summer to let a bunch of teachers go.”

Frackelton’s request reflects a precarious budget situation facing many schools in a system where school funding is largely tied to enrollment, and enrollment has been plunging.

At the end of September, higher-ups at the education department informed Frackelton that they overestimated their enrollment projections used to calculate his school’s budget this year. With 75 fewer students than projected, his school owed the department about $750,000. If his roster didn’t grow by Oct. 31, he would either have to let go of several new teachers, or put the debt off until next year.

But Frackelton saw a third choice: Enroll 75 children before the deadline.

By the middle of the month, Frackelton had created a flier and a video to share on social media to entice families to enroll their children at Soundview, with the help of a former colleague who specializes in video production. Now, he was asking parents, staff and students, if they liked the school, to share the material everywhere.

Frackelton made this plea: “Find a kid, save a teacher.”

Enrollment declines put schools in tight spot

Many schools across New York City are facing enrollment declines. With 9.5% fewer students since the pandemic, most schools have seen budget cuts. As a result, many have larger class sizes and cuts to enrichment activities or extra programs for students.

During the pandemic, schools were held harmless for losing more students than projected. Now, schools are once again facing what is known as the “mid-year adjustment” — owing money if your roster is less than projected, or getting more if your numbers are higher. Department officials did not answer questions about how many schools fell below projections and owed money.

At the start of this school year, Soundview Academy enrolled just under 300 students, hitting a decade low. Though enrollment has dropped across the city since 2015, Soundview’s student body had been growing — until the pandemic.

Education department enrollment projections are rarely an exact science. Over the past decade, Soundview typically enrolled more students than projected. This year, they signed up 350 students by summertime. By September, staff were surprised that 75 of those children failed to show up. Frackelton assumed most had fled to charters, but found out only 11% of them did so. Nearly 60% left New York City. About 20% enrolled in other schools within Soundview’s district. The rest went to other district schools.

“In a post-pandemic New York public school reality, there’s just less kids, right, and there was no strategic plan,” for how schools like his should respond, Frackelton said. “So I decided, I’m just going to go for broke and see if we can come up with our own marketing strategy.”

Soundview Academy gets creative

By the day of the student town hall on Oct. 14, Frackelton’s school had enrolled roughly 10 more kids since he got the warning letter from the education department. That left 65 to go.

Kevin Lopez, a former staffer under Frackelton who is now an assistant principal at Manhattan’s High School of Art and Design, filmed footage for a 15-second promotional video at no cost to the school. It features Frackelton’s voice and clips of a couple of students talking about the school, as well as clips of students in classrooms.

It ends with an overhead shot of the school building and the school’s official seal, with the words, “WE CHOOSE YOU, ENROLL NOW!”

All fifth graders must apply to get into middle school in New York City. Like most city middle schools now, Soundview doesn’t screen elementary school students who want to enroll. It is also a community school this year, meaning that, because they serve a large share of high-needs students, the school partners with a nonprofit organization to provide wraparound support for children.

On the day before the student town hall, Frackelton’s team shared the promotional video on Instagram. During a parent association meeting that same evening, he pleaded with parents to spread the word on social media.

“I need you to come in tomorrow and grab some fliers, go to the buses, go to the trains, go down to that school, Bronx Charter [School] For The Arts, and get our kids back,” Frackelton told the group. (Bronx Charter School For the Arts did not immediately respond for comment.)

One of those new teachers is ErrDaisha Floyd, who teaches seventh grade social studies and is in her first year of teaching. Students are struggling more than she anticipated with reading difficult texts and staying focused. It’s been easier to help children one-on-one during periods when she has a special education teacher assist her class.

If there are big cuts to staff next year, it’s going to make school even harder, she believes.

“It’s just not fair for the students or the teachers because there will be a lot of students whose needs are not being met,” Floyd said.

Choosing to let go of teachers now would destroy the school’s programming, Frackelton said, right as staff is trying to help get students on grade level in reading and math, including through special periods dedicated to improving phonics and reading skills. Just under 6% of Soundview students passed state math tests last school year, compared with about 27% before the pandemic, but reading proficiency levels stayed about the same, with about 30% of students passing, according to data from the city and state. However, far fewer children took the tests last school year compared with 2019, making it difficult to make comparisons.

While Frackelton doesn’t believe the cuts would directly affect core instruction in reading and math, it’s likely that class sizes would grow. And funding cuts would mean paring back their dual language program — the only such middle school program in their district — far less arts and dance programming and courses in the school’s new technology lab that has 3D printers. Those are activities that the school pushes children to get involved in so that they can “find motivation” beyond academics, he said.

Cuts could also hamper the school’s efforts to pair students with teacher mentors. Those mentors currently have 10-15 students each and check in with them three times a day, but cuts to funding would mean cuts to staff, making it harder for teachers to build those connections. Many of the school’s children, 83% of whom are living in poverty and several of whom are transferring in from another school for safety reasons, benefit from having someone to talk to, Frackelton said.

Soundview’s focus on things beyond academics is what first attracted Farah Despeignes, the president of the parent association, to the school a few years ago. Her son didn’t want to attend their zoned school, so he applied to Soundview. He began pursuing dance, gymnastics, and cooking— activities he used to think of as reserved for girls — and began questioning traditional gender roles and stereotypes.

“It actually helped him to grow quite a bit,” Despeignes said of her son, now in high school.

He started at Townsend Harris High School in Queens this year, and her younger son is now an eighth grader at Soundview after they were both home-schooled last year.

Despeignes worried her children would get sick and that there were not enough social-emotional resources for students and staff — not just at Soundview, but citywide.

She sensed many families felt the same last school year and wondered if that’s why people left.

“We didn’t see that support network and those wraparound services,” Despeignes said. “For those reasons, I think that’s what created the situation we are seeing now.”

She also spread the word about the school, but she knew it would be hard to attract families who had already settled into their choices for the year. She’s hoping to share her view that things have been going well for her eighth grader.

“So far, so good,” she said.

Efforts fall short

By Oct. 25 — six days until the deadline — the school had enrolled about 15 new students.

But five had left.

Still the debt to the education department dropped significantly. The school now owes $490,000, Frackelton said.

His new goal is to get more students enrolled by next fall.

One day past the deadline, on Nov. 1, the school held its middle school fair. Frackelton said many people attended, and they handed out fliers left and right.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

Nearly 10% of NYC students were homeless last year, according to report

2022-10-26T10:00:00+00:00

Nearly 1 in 10 students in New York City public schools were homeless last school year, a rate that has stayed largely unchanged for the past six years, even as enrollment has dropped, according to new data released Wednesday.

A total 104,383 children lacked permanent housing last school year across district and charter schools, according to an annual report released by Advocates For Children New York, an organization that advocates on behalf of the city’s highest needs students.

Of those children, about two-thirds were “doubled up,” which means they shared a home with relatives or others because of financial challenges that prevented them from having their own home. Another 28% of these students were living in city shelters, while 5% of students were completely unsheltered — living in places like cars, parks, and abandoned buildings, according to the report. Nearly 360 children lived in hotels or motels.

The share of students who are homeless has largely not budged even as public school enrollment has dipped by 9.5% since the pandemic. This school year, schools also are facing a new challenge: enrolling and supporting thousands of new students in shelters, who are largely believed to be asylum-seeking children from South American countries.

“If these 100,000 children made up their own school district, it would be a district larger than 99.5% of all other districts nationwide,” Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children, said in a statement. “While the city works to address the underlying issue of homelessness, we also must ensure that students who are homeless get to class every day and receive the targeted supports they need to succeed in school.”

The increase comes as New York City has seen a steep rise in the number of homeless families with children entering shelters every night, according to city data. Rising housing costs and inflation have likely strained families across the five boroughs.

The number of students without stable housing grew by more than 3% across district and charter schools last school year, when children returned to classrooms full time for the first time since the pandemic hit. The data released Wednesday represents last school year. It follows a 9.5% dip during the 2020-21 school year — but advocates warned that could have been an undercount since most students were learning remotely at the time, making it tougher for educators to identify homeless students.

The rates of homeless students vary widely across different boroughs and community school districts. More than 20% of students were homeless in Bronx’s District 9, the highest rate of any of the city’s 32 districts. In contrast, just under 4% of Staten Island students lacked permanent housing.

Boroughs that tend to enroll a lower share of homeless students saw some of the largest increases last year. Queens saw the highest, with a 12% increase in homeless students, followed by a 7.1% increase in Staten Island.

It’s not clear why those boroughs saw such a steep rise, said Jennifer Pringle, director of Project Learning in Temporary Housing for Advocates for Children. She noted that the pandemic severely impacted Queens, in terms of illness, deaths and job losses. For example, Queens saw job losses at a rate higher than any other borough when the pandemic first hit, according to a report by the state comptroller.

Homeless students face transportation hurdles

Students who are homeless can face many challenges getting to school. In New York City, homeless students in grades K-6 are entitled to transportation to their schools, but families have often struggled to secure reliable busing. When they do get transportation, students in shelters that are far from their schools may face an hours-long commute.

Sometimes families opt to transfer their children’s schools to ease the commute, but that can also have significant drawbacks. One study from 2015 found that New York City students who transferred schools, which occurred more frequently among homeless students, were more likely to be chronically absent. Homeless students who were chronically absent, or missed at least 10% of school days, were three times more likely to repeat the same grade, compared to their homeless peers who missed fewer than five days of school, that report found.

While graduation data for last school year is not yet available, in the 2020-21 school year, just 70% of students who were homeless graduated, compared with 81% of all students. Twelve percent of those students dropped out, compared with 5% of all children.

This summer, Tanika Lashley was placed in a Manhattan shelter despite sharing with Department of Homeless Services staff that her son attends school in Williamsburg. When school started, his father would pick him up daily, following an overnight work shift, and drive him to school during rush hour, Lashley said. During the two weeks that it took for the education department to set up a bus route, Lashley’s son would arrive at school at 11 a.m., missing morning English lessons and earning low marks in the subject on his progress reports, Lashley said.

In the meantime, Lashley was written up at work for lateness because she had to wait for her son to be picked up before she could leave. She didn’t want to transfer her son to another school because she didn’t want to cause more disruption.

“Why should I have to pull him out of a school that he loves?” Lashley said.

A social worker at her son’s school connected her to Advocates For Children, which helped her request a shelter transfer. She entered the new shelter last week, located 20 minutes away from his school, and is waiting for officials to set up a new route for her son. But since they’re closer, her son is getting there on time with the help of his father.

“It’s really hard for mothers, especially single mothers, who are doing it on their own,” Lashley said. “This should not be interfering with a kid’s situation — they’re already going through homelessness.”

The data comes as the city has seen an influx of students seeking asylum from South American countries who are living in shelters, posing a new challenge for schools.

Helping asylum-seeking students in shelters

Schools this year have already enrolled roughly 6,000 new students living in shelters, largely believed to be asylum-seeking students. On top of the extra support that students in shelters need, many of these children are also learning English as a new language and need access to teachers and social workers who speak Spanish — something some schools have struggled to provide this year as they faced budget cuts.

For months, advocates have called for the city to begin hiring 100 shelter-based community coordinators, who are supposed to help families navigate the school system. The education department has not yet hired any of these staffers but has “begun the hiring process” and expects to hire people “soon,” said spokesperson Suzan Sumer.

There are currently 117 shelter-based “family assistants” who are supposed to ensure that families are getting help with enrollment, transportation, and other school-related issues, according to the department. There are also 107 school-based staffers who are tasked with identifying homeless students and ensuring they’re attending school.

In some school communities, parent volunteers are banding together to collect basic supplies for the new asylum-seeking families. At 75 Morton middle school in Greenwich Village, where about 45 newcomers have enrolled, the parent-teacher association has arranged a clothing drive and collected toiletries, backpacks and school supplies for new students and families, said Rebecca Lupardo, co-president of the PTA.

The school librarian created an Amazon wishlist for Spanish texts and, within three days, received 75 books, Lupardo said.

“They may stay in New York City, or they may find a home elsewhere or a better situation, or someone they know in another state even,” Lupardo said. “We’re providing for them in the best possible way we can.”

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

More than politics: New studies help explain why some schools reopened while others stayed virtual

2022-10-12T16:20:26+00:00

To critics, keeping schools closed during the pandemic was not only a colossal blunder — it was pure politics.

According to many Republicans and some liberals, some school districts’ decision to extend remote learning for well over a year owed more to partisan politics and pressure by teachers unions than the data on COVID’s health risks. In short, they say, politics prevailed over science.

That argument was supported by early studies, which found that a community’s party affiliation and teachers union strength better predicted whether schools would reopen than local COVID conditions. But later research found that in-person learning was less common in counties with high COVID rates, challenging the view that reopening decisions were divorced from public health data.

Now, two additional studies provide even greater insight into districts’ choices during the first full school year of the pandemic about whether to reopen classrooms or continue remote learning — decisions that proved to be as consequential as they were contentious.

Together, the studies indicate that districts responded to evolving conditions on the ground during a period of intense uncertainty, basing their actions on COVID spread, health guidelines, teacher demands, and parent preferences. As to whether politics or science guided decision-making, the emerging research suggests, the answer is both/and.

“The decisions were not as black and white as the popular discourse made it out to be, and which some of the early research studies fit into,” said Jeremy Singer, a postdoctoral researcher at Michigan State University who co-authored one of the recent studies. “It’s a much more nuanced story.”

Early research on school opening decisions focused largely on the start of the 2020-21 school year, when districts faced pressure by the Trump administration to resume in-person learning even as COVID rates surged. School buildings were less likely to reopen that fall in communities with strong teachers unions and more Democratic voters, several studies found.

Such research fueled the popular perception that “politics, far more than science, shaped school district decision-making,” as one early study put it. But a new working paper, released this month, reaches the opposite conclusion: Perceived health risks, more than politics, drove most reopening decisions.

The new study examined the reopening choices of Ohio’s more than 600 school districts throughout that school year — not just in the fall. Since a community’s political preferences and union strength tend to remain constant, districts that opened or closed schools during the year were likely responding to changing health conditions, the researchers theorized. And that’s what they found.

About two-thirds of Ohio districts switched between in-person and remote learning over the course of the school year, some multiple times, the study shows. In those districts, local COVID rates were a better predictor of reopening than politics. (By contrast, districts that kept schools open all year tended to be in rural and Republican areas, while those that stayed virtual were mostly in urban, Democratic areas — trends consistent with prior research.)

By looking at districts’ weekly COVID data, the researchers found that rising case counts during in-person learning made districts less likely to keep schools open the following week. The effect waned over time, a sign that officials came to rely less on infection rates as they learned more about COVID spread and risks, the researchers propose. The study also found that districts were more likely to open schools when neighboring districts did so.

Taken together, the findings suggest that district leaders “were acting like rational decision-makers facing uncertainty,” said Brian Jacob, an education policy professor at the University of Michigan, who co-authored the study with Alvin Christian and John Singleton. “That’s a very different picture of school districts and school boards than, ‘They’re only focused on political partisanship.’”

The second recent working paper, released in July, is a qualitative study of five cities where schools started the 2020-21 school year virtually: Denver; Detroit; New Orleans; Portland, Oregon; and Washington, D.C. Based on dozens of interviews with district and charter school administrators, union leaders, advocates, and parents, the study sheds new light on how and why districts made their reopening decisions.

Not surprisingly, officials in those heavily Democratic cities closely adhered to public health guidance around COVID, which former President Donald Trump and his allies often attacked as too cautious. While the district leaders tended to agree with the guidance, they also used it strategically as a source of legitimacy and political cover, according to the study conducted by researchers at several universities.

“I don’t need the community thinking that I am unilaterally deciding what’s safe or what’s healthy,” a district official told the researchers. “I need professionals and subject matter experts to tell us, ‘These are the guidelines.’”

Teachers unions influenced the process by highlighting the health risks of reopening and demanding certain safety precautions, the study found. But district officials also worried that reopening too quickly would lead to teacher resignations and staff shortages.

Families generally embraced the districts’ gradual return to in-person learning, the researchers found, in line with national polling data that showed, compared with white parents, fewer Black and Latino parents favored reopening schools in fall 2020. Based on opinion polls and the higher COVID death rate among people of color, leaders of these districts “came to believe non-white families were not strongly demanding in-person learning,” the study says.

The debate over whether schools should have reopened sooner shows no sign of abating, especially as new data reveals how much student learning suffered during the pandemic. While the new studies won’t settle that debate, they do provide a better understanding of how district officials made their decisions, which were about far more than just politics, said Singer, one of the study’s authors.

“I think evidence like this helps reinforce the idea that district leadership and school leadership were trying to navigate a really difficult context,” he said, “and it wasn’t just a gut reflex based on national partisanship.”

Patrick Wall is a senior reporter covering national education issues. Contact him at pwall@chalkbeat.org.

NYC test scores drop in math, increase in reading

2022-09-28T17:53:55+00:00

Nearly half of New York City’s third through eighth graders passed their state reading tests last school year, while about 38% passed math, according to scores released by city officials Wednesday.

The scores are the first measure of how students across the five boroughs have fared in reading and math since the coronavirus pandemic upended in-person schooling and left many children grappling with isolation and grief. Though schools gave students other city-mandated assessments last year, officials have refused to publicly release the results.

“During the pandemic, kids went through all kinds of challenges that they’re still recovering from,” schools Chancellor David Banks told reporters Wednesday. “No matter what the latest test results tell you, I can tell you the system is broken in far too many ways. We are trying to create a new way forward.”

Overall reading scores increased slightly, up 1.6 percentage points from 2019, while math scores dropped significantly, down 7.6 percentage points. The city didn’t release results for charter schools.

Looking at grade-by-grade data, however, provides a different picture for reading scores: For the youngest students, third and fourth graders, scores fell by 4 percentage points and 6 percentage points respectively.

City officials compared the scores to 2019 results, noting the past two years of disruptions. The state canceled the exams in 2020. The following year, the state allowed families to opt into taking them the following year. Just one-fifth of city students took them.

State officials, however, cautioned against comparing the test results to 2019 because of the ongoing effects of the pandemic and the “different rates of participation among students.” Roughly 10% of city students opted out of either reading or math exams, compared with 4% in 2019, education department officials said.

The percentage of children who passed math tests dropped for every major student group, with the largest decline among Latino students, by 10 percentage points. In contrast, passing rates for reading grew for every student group, with the largest increase among students known as “ever ELLs,” or students who were once considered learning English as a new language but are not anymore.

Disparities remained between white and Asian American students compared with their Black and Latino peers. About 70.5% of Asian American and 67% of white students passed reading exams, compared with 35.8% of students who are Black and 36.8% who are Latino. For math, 68.3% of Asian American students and 58.5% of white students passed compared with 20.6% of Black children and 23.3% of Latino students.

Disparities also persisted among students with higher needs. Among students with disabilities, 18.3% passed reading and 14.4% passed math. Among students learning English as a new language, 12.7% passed reading, while 15% scored proficient in math.

The scores could be one tool for schools to understand which students need more support this year. In response to the dip in national test scores, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said schools should be prioritizing COVID relief funds to boost academic support and extra tutoring.

However, as federal funds dry up, schools are receiving less money this year to create extra tutoring programs or provide extra support to students with disabilities. And unlike last year, schools can use that pool of money to hire staff as schools grapple with budget cuts, tied to projected declining enrollment.

Aaron Pallas, a professor at Teachers College and an expert in testing, doesn’t believe the scores can be compared to 2019 because of declining enrollment and higher opt-out rates. Compared with 2019, 21% fewer children took math tests and 18% fewer children sat for reading tests, according to city data.

Pallas said he expects people to use the scores to bolster arguments that traditional public schools don’t work, as Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin has, but that there’s not enough information to make those conclusions.

“Quite honestly, I don’t really think [the scores are] that useful, certainly not for building level or district-level decisions about the allocation of resources,” Pallas said, adding that parents also won’t have the right context to understand their children’s results.

Some advocates said the scores signal that schools need more resources, particularly for younger children who were learning to read when the pandemic first hit, pointing to the dip in reading pass rates for third and fourth graders. Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children New York, said “it will be critical” to learn from new programs focused on improving literacy.

The scores could be a factor in middle and high school admissions this year. Schools that screen students were previously allowed to use test scores as one factor for admission, but that was paused during the pandemic and barred last year under former Mayor Bill de Blasio. City officials are expected to announce this year’s admissions criteria soon.

Banks has been critical of standardized testing, saying that schools that are laser-focused on exams can’t offer a “fully comprehensive learning experience.” On Wednesday, after touring classrooms at his alma mater, Hillcrest High School, Banks emphasized that the measure of student success is whether they’ll be prepared for quality jobs after they graduate.

“The return on investment is not the scores that they got on standardized exams,” Banks said. “Test scores are important, but they’re not everything.”

Unlike past years, Wednesday’s test scores could not immediately be compared to other New York districts or even statewide. In a departure, this year’s scores were released by New York City rather than the state, which has not yet released statewide results.

After initially barring districts from sharing the scores, state officials gave the OK last week for local districts.

Officials plan to release statewide scores sometime this fall, but have not said when, and blamed the delay on a cumbersome process for releasing both preliminary and final scores this year.

Amy Zimmer and Alex Zimmerman contributed.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

Parent-teacher conferences in NYC schools remain virtual this year

2022-09-22T19:45:54+00:00

New York City officials have pushed for the return of pre-pandemic life in schools, ending social distancing requirements, revoking mask mandates, and keeping buildings open. But one ritual won’t revert to normal this year: parent-teacher conferences.

Those meetings must generally be held remotely and many caregivers are finding that other back-to-school events meant to introduce families to their children’s teachers are also being conducted online. Many schools are scheduled to host conferences, which often last less than 15 minutes, with families by the end of the month.

“Remote conferences ensure more consistent access to all families than the traditional parent teacher conference,” education department spokesperson Art Nevins wrote in a statement. He emphasized that evening parent conferences were also virtual last year and that caregivers may request in-person conferences, though according to the teachers union those must occur “during the contractual workday.”

According to education department policy, school visitors must be vaccinated, which may complicate efforts to welcome all parents into buildings. Nevins did not say whether that played a role in the department’s thinking. A United Federation of Teachers spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about the parent conference policy or their position on it.

Keeping parent-teacher conferences virtual this school year prompted mixed reactions from educators and parents, with some saying the move makes it convenient for working families to participate and others arguing that it will be harder to forge crucial bonds between parents and schools.

Brooklyn mom Stacie Johnson said her fourth grade daughter’s school, P.S. 376, held a virtual event for parents on the first day of school, and she appreciated the convenience of being able to tune in after she got home from work.

“Parents didn’t want to wait a week or two to have a conversation with their teacher,” Johnson said. “I definitely got a sense of the teacher and his personality and learned about my daughter’s schedule and what kind of specials she’ll have this year.”

Others were less enthusiastic, with some advocates pointing out that access to technology is limited for many families.

“Our technology has come a long way, but there’s no replacement for building relationships with students and their families — in-person,” Dia Bryant, executive director of Education Trust New York, wrote in a statement. “Actions like these beg us to wonder if that’s something we care about. Connections between home and school can save children’s lives.”

Rodney Lee, who has two daughters in Manhattan public schools, said in-person conferences are valuable because they help build stronger ties that make it more likely for educators and families to communicate about issues like whether homework is turned in on time.

“It’s always best to develop a relationship in person — look them in the eye,” Lee said. “On Zoom, it’s like sending a text almost. There’s a lot of nuances you might not pick up on.”

Lee also said he didn’t understand why parents would be kept out of school buildings due to virus-related concerns. Given that many other safety measures have been dropped, Lee said parents should be allowed in for conferences, even if they were required to take precautions such as wearing masks.

“The school consistently says it’s important for kids to be in school. If they really want us to be partners then why don’t they want us in their schools?” he said.

At P.S. 330 in Queens, school officials hosted their “meet the teacher” night virtually last week. Matt Brownstein, an assistant principal there, said those types of meetings are “tolerable” virtually because they typically involve presentations, but it’s not ideal.

“At this point in the pandemic we recognize how to do things safely and more than ever we need to build quality connections,” he said. “One of the best avenues we have to build relationships is the parent-teacher conference structure and making it fully remote limits the power of that space.”

Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.

With a joyful song, these Detroit students are re-engaging with school

2022-09-20T15:35:35+00:00

The three students started out singing softly, tiptoeing through the first few bars of a challenging jazz tune.

They stumbled over a syncopated rhythm, but didn’t lose focus. They listened carefully to their teacher’s coaching, and responded.

Soon, they were pulling off some of the tougher harmonies of “Sweet Georgia Brown.” When they hit just the right notes, the sound seemed to expand and fill the choir room at Detroit School of Arts.

It was the second week of classes at the high school, and learning was in full swing. And this was just lunch hour.

“I’m excited for the year,” said Ray Mich, a senior countertenor who joined the lunchtime practice.

Returning to the choir room “is like seeing your best friend who you haven’t seen in a long time,” added Justyce UpShaw, a senior soprano.

Rewind two years, and that kind of enthusiasm for school would be hard to find in Michigan. Students were logged in to virtual classrooms on computer screens. There were no live choir concerts and few opportunities to see friends. Education became a daily slog that took a toll on students’ attendance, test scores, and mental health.

The path back to engaged, joyful education may run through spaces like Julian Goods’ choir classroom at DSA, an application high school in the Detroit Public Schools Community District that is a centerpiece of the district’s efforts to expand its art offerings and its enrollment.

Students here take ownership of their learning: The trio who showed up to practice during lunch are senior members of the school’s Concert Choir — one of seven choirs at the school — who wanted to be able to help other students with the music. They are coached by Goods, an accomplished pianist and singer in his own right. And they’ll get a chance to show their learning in concerts and choral competitions.

Tackling real-world challenges

Already, the school year feels different for Goods.

“Last year, every teacher was a little burnt out at the end of the year. So I was a little anxious about doing it again,” he said. “But my kids have been an inspiration for me. There’s an excitement, a level of confidence.”

If only that type of excitement could be sustained across the curriculum, in math or science class.

In fact, it can, say education researchers Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine.

Just before the pandemic, Mehta and Fine opened a public debate over why so many teenagers in the U.S. were bored at school. They argued that core academic classrooms could learn some lessons from extracurriculars like choir, robotics club, or debate, where students tend to be more engaged. Rather than being told by a teacher how to build a robot and asked to reproduce that information on a test, students in these settings are asked to put their knowledge into practice in a consequential, real-world scenario like a robotics competition or a concert.

Such challenges tend to galvanize students’ interest in a topic, they said, and encourage them to learn the new skills they’ll need to succeed.

“There are a lot of transferable skills that come from places like choir that can be highly relevant to all kinds of situations,” Fine told Chalkbeat. “Yes, students are going to learn something about the song they’re singing, but more importantly they’re learning about how to put in careful work and attend to the parts that aren’t good yet.”

Fine said that this type of engaged learning does not need to be limited to magnet schools like DSA. Most high schools already offer a range of extracurricular activities, she notes, and core content teachers can inject excitement into their lessons by tying academic concepts into real-world projects that are relevant to students’ interests and communities.

In one school Fine and Mehta studied, students were asked to work on a carpentry project that required students to develop their physics and math skills.

“I just wish math class could have more of the qualities of choir, where we’re working together to produce something valuable,” she said.

The Detroit district aims to bring that spirit to neighborhood high schools across the city through “‘career academies,” where students can take courses in sports management and vet sciences, said Superintendent Nikolai Vitti. In core subject areas like literacy and math, teachers are being encouraged to boost student engagement by linking instruction with students’ cultural backgrounds.

“This looks like centering authentic student work and projects that lift up their voice, layering in many kinds of texts and media to lessons, and having more fun in the classroom,” Vitti said in an email.

Learning notes, building confidence

Goods’ walls are adorned with college pennants, trophies from choir competitions, and posters of jazz legends and civil rights activists — Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughn, Fannie Lou Hamer. Students did most of the decorating after he left the walls blank for a bit too long. “This is their room as much as mine,” he said.

The students who practiced “Sweet Georgia Brown” during lunch hour are among the strongest singers at Detroit School of Arts, an auditioned program whose alumni include singers Aaliyah and Teairra Marí.

They’re just starting to learn jazz harmonies for a class in Vocal Jazz, and the learning curve is steep, but Goods knows they will have the tune down pat within a few months. So he focuses on boosting their confidence, insisting that it’s better to make mistakes than to shy away from a difficult note.

Later on, Mich went quiet during a tough passage. “I’m scared of cracking,” he confessed.

“Nobody likes cracking,” Goods says. “If you don’t try, you’ll never get it.”

Later, when a soaring harmony fell apart, Goods looked quizzically at UpShaw.

“Are you scared of that high G?”

She stared back.

“Yes.”

“Try it again. One, two, three, four.”

The piano danced into action, and the students locked into their parts, sounding more confident after just 15 minutes of practice.

UpShaw nailed the high note.

Koby Levin is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering K-12 schools and early childhood education. Contact Koby at klevin@chalkbeat.org.

Where Michigan school districts stand on 2022-23 COVID protocols

2022-08-24T17:16:28+00:00

Masks, COVID tests and quarantines are going out of style this back-to-school season.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has loosened its COVID guidelines for K-12 schools just in time for the start of school in Michigan. But many Michigan districts were already taking steps toward the way things were before the pandemic.

This school year, many districts will abandon masking requirements, routine COVID testing for asymptomatic people, and quarantine requirements for people exposed to COVID. Many districts will also adopt shortened quarantine and isolation periods for those who test positive for COVID.

Michigan’s districts have had a patchwork of COVID guidelines since June 2021, when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lifted the statewide mask mandate. This marks the second school year that COVID protocols have been left to the discretion of local districts.

Michigan has recorded over 2.7 million COVID cases and over 37,000 COVID-related deaths since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.

Here’s a look at how some districts in the state are enforcing or loosening their COVID protocols:

Will masks be required in schools?

Michigan joins a nationwide shift away from mask requirements in schools. Last year, 75% of U.S. schools enforced mask-wearing for teachers and students at the start of the school year. That number has dwindled considerably.

Many districts across the state are promoting the same message: Masks are not required, but students and staff who choose to wear them will be fully supported.

Major districts like Grand Rapids Public Schools, Detroit Public Schools Community District, Dearborn Public Schools, and Lansing School District have all told families masks will not be required during the 2022-23 school year.

However, many districts have outlined some exceptions, requiring mask-wearing for people living with someone who is COVID-positive, those who have a confirmed exposure to someone COVID-positive, and for those experiencing COVID symptoms.

Ann Arbor Public Schools have structured their masking policies around the CDC’s community level classification system for COVID severity. According to a message posted by Superintendent Jeanice Swift, masks will be “welcomed indoors” when Washtenaw County is rated ‘low,’ “encouraged indoors” when the county is rated ‘medium’ and “strongly recommended” indoors when the county is rated ‘high.’ Washtenaw County is currently rated at the ‘high’ level.

Flint Community Schools has also adopted a slightly different masking policy. In a letter to Flint families on July 21, Superintendent Kevelin Jones said that masks will not be required but “recommended” for the 2022-23 school year, which started Aug. 3.

The district also issued an updated protocols guide on July 14 that says masks will be required on school buses “due to the closeness and mixing of students within the buses.”

Will social distancing be enforced in classrooms?

Some districts, including Flint and Lansing, are promoting social distancing in their classrooms this fall.

Flint’s updated guide encourages staff to support social distancing among students “as much as possible,” but doesn’t specify a distance. Lansing recommends that students and staff maintain 3 to 6 feet of distance from one another when possible.

What about routine testing?

A number of districts, including Detroit, Dearborn, Flint, and Lansing, do not plan to implement routine testing for people who are asymptomatic or had close contacts with infected people. Many schools abandoned such tests during the winter’s omicron variant surge because of the stress it put on resources and staff.

But districts will still have voluntary rapid tests available in house for students experiencing COVID symptoms in school.

How long do COVID-positive students and staff have to quarantine?

The CDC new guidance says quarantining is no longer recommended for students and staff who are merely exposed to COVID but haven’t tested positive. They are encouraged to wear a mask for 10 days — a guideline that many districts, including Dearborn, are adopting for the upcoming school year.

For people who test positive, many districts, including Grand Rapids, Dearborn, Royal Oak, Lansing, and Kalamazoo, have adopted the CDC’s shortened quarantine guidelines. That means having COVID-positive individuals isolate at home for five days and return on Day 6, if they remain masked until Day 10 and are fever-free for at least 24 hours. Those who refuse to wear a mask for days 6 to 10 will be unable to return to school and have to stay home for the full 10 days.

Grace Tucker is a reporting intern at Chalkbeat Detroit. Reach her at gtucker@chalkbeat.org.

Correction: Aug. 25, 2022: A previous version of this story misstated the mask policy in Ann Arbor Public Schools. The district won’t require masks at any point, but will strongly recommend them if Washtenaw County is classified as having a ‘high’ rate of COVID cases by the CDC. The story also misstated the county’s current level. It is at the ‘high’ level.

Detroit’s back-to-school enrollment efforts take on new urgency

2022-08-12T15:11:42+00:00

The quiet southwest Detroit block around Roberto Clemente Learning Academy pulsed with summer heat and back-to-school excitement on an August afternoon.

Community members mingled among the food trucks, arts and crafts activities, and information tables lined up across the school’s front lawn, where the Detroit Public Schools Community District was hosting the latest in its Summer on the Block event series.

The block parties have been part of the district’s back-to-school enrollment push since 2017. They’ve taken on increased significance in the wake of a pandemic that has seen the district lose 3,000 students since 2020, when it enrolled nearly 51,000.

Similar enrollment drops have struck school districts across the nation during the pandemic. But in Detroit, which has experienced decades of enrollment declines as families fled to charter and suburban schools, they’re particularly worrisome. The pandemic reversed what had been a period of stability — and some small gains — in enrollment after 2017, when an elected board regained power and Nikolai Vitti became superintendent. And since school funding in Michigan is directly tied to enrollment, drops in enrollment affect the district’s budget.

So the district is stepping up its enrollment drive with help from federal COVID relief money. DPSCD plans to invest $15 million of the nearly $1.3 billion in COVID relief funds it will receive into outreach with families and new community programming.

“That was the benefit of having equitable federal funding for the first time…We could make sure we had the tools and resources to help families,” district spokeswoman Chrystal Wilson said.

In addition to more Summer on the Block events, the district used its COVID relief funding to support a door-to-door canvassing initiative first launched in 2017, and to boost summer school programming.

Wilson said over 9,000 families enrolled in the district’s Summer Learning Experiences 2022 program, so “our families are telling us they want to get back to the business of learning, the fun of learning … finding that normalcy even though we’re still addressing wellness and mental health exiting from the height of the pandemic.”

Sharlonda Buckman, assistant superintendent of family and community engagement, said that checking in on families through door-to-door canvassing or hosting outreach events is all about “making deposits in the community.”

Buckman said this year’s Summer on the Block series is particularly important, providing families with the resources to help their students recover from pandemic learning loss.

By distributing summer learning materials such as free books, Buckman said, the district “helps parents close gaps in their home space.”

The Summer on the Block events also feature tables with representatives from a number of local agencies and organizations, as part of the district’s commitment to attract families to its schools through wraparound services. At the Roberto Clemente event, for example, families visited tables for the City of Detroit’s health and family services departments educating parents on the importance of vaccines and distributing home cleaning products.

According to state data, Roberto Clemente began the 2019-20 school year with 604 students; the most recent numbers show an enrollment of 530 students.

Principal Maria Hernandez-Martinez said her team is executing a number of initiatives this summer to bring students back.

In addition to going door to door to promote Roberto Clemente, Hernandez-Martinez’s team has organized parent meetings for each grade at the school to review the curriculum and schoolwide expectations before classes begin.

Because the school is located in a neighborhood with many Spanish speakers, she said, it is essential that her team include several bilingual people and that they provide all materials and send messages to parents in English and Spanish.

Roberto Clemente Learning Academy’s principal, Maria Hernandez-Martinez (center), talks a parent through the informational material distributed at Summer on the Block.

Hernandez-Martinez hopes to have more Summer on the Block events at Roberto Clemente in the future as she and principals across the district work to bring enrollment to where it was before the pandemic.

Looking around at the flurry of activity on the block that afternoon, Hernandez-Martinez said, “The main purpose of all this is to bring back my families.”

Grace Tucker is a reporting intern at Chalkbeat Detroit. Reach her at gtucker@chalkbeat.org.

NYC school budget cuts can move forward for now, appeals court says

2022-08-10T01:04:31+00:00

The education department can move forward with budget cuts after an appeals court temporarily blocked a lower court’s ruling that invalidated the budget process.

The appellate court’s order Tuesday brings whiplash to back-to-school planning for the fall. Four days prior, a lower court judge ruled that the city needed to redo the education department budget, which includes cuts for nearly 75% of schools. Now that order has been paused — at least until the case is back in court on Aug. 29, a little more than a week before the first day of school.

A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams applauded the decision allowing the city to move forward with its current budget.

“As Mayor Adams said this morning, schools will open, on time, in September and will have the resources they need to ensure our students thrive next month,” City Hall spokesperson Amaris Cockfield said in a statement. “We will continue to defend the city’s budget process.”

The Aug. 5 ruling in favor of two teachers and two parents who filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court last month said that the city violated state law when it approved the education department’s budget for this fiscal year.

The ruling called on Adams and the City Council to reconsider how to fund schools this year, and until that happens, it meant the school system should be funded at the same levels as last year. Last year’s budget was about $1 billion more than this fiscal year’s $31 billion budget, largely due to a boost from federal stimulus relief.

The city and the education department filed their appeal earlier on Tuesday claiming that the Aug. 5 decision by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Lyle Frank “plunges [the education department] into chaos at the worst possible time and causes irreparable harm,” and “throws a wrench” into planning for September “that may reverberate throughout the school year.”

The appeal not only pushes back on the lower court’s finding that a procedural error was made, it also said it was an “entirely unprecedented remedy of imposing a record-high and expired budget on DOE.” City lawyers argued that the lower court’s ruling could require the education department to spend “at levels that would likely exhaust the funding allocated to it well before the end of the school year.”

Laura Barbieri, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, emphasized that the appeals court issued an “automatic stay” and had not yet ruled on the substance of the case.

“We are disappointed that the city asked for a hearing date at the end of August, rather than immediately,” Barbieri wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.

“This will further delay the ‘chaos’ that the city repeatedly cited in its brief, and prevent principals, teachers, and parents from knowing what their school budgets will look like until the appeal is heard on August 29.” The automatic stay “is not appealable,” Barbieri wrote in a text message.

For now, the legal back-and-forth does not appear to have caused any dramatic changes in school operations, aside from a very short freeze on school spending that was quickly lifted. Still, the sudden reversals about whether the city can move forward with cuts threatens to sow uncertainty about school budgets less than a month before the first day of school.

The lawsuit focuses on the budget approval process, with the lower court finding that schools Chancellor David Banks had violated the law by using an “emergency declaration” to circumvent a vote on it by the Panel for Educational Policy, a largely mayoral appointed board that approves spending and contracts.

But the larger issue that touched off the lawsuit was Adams’ $215 million cuts to schools. That number has been a moving target. The cuts were closer to $373 million, according to City Council and city Comptroller Brad Lander, who has said the city has enough stimulus funding leftover from last year to cover the cuts.

City Hall argues that school budgets need to be reduced to account for enrollment declines that have accelerated during the pandemic. The previous administration used federal funding to keep school budgets steady even if they lost students and the administration contends that cuts are necessary to avoid even steeper cuts in two years when federal funding runs dry.

But many parents, advocates, and educators counter that the stimulus funding was designed to avert further disruptions to learning and that it doesn’t make sense to kneecap schools at a time when children have deep academic and emotional scars.

It’s possible that the city will ultimately restore some school funding even if officials are not forced to do so by the courts. City Hall has reportedly been negotiating with the City Council over restoring funding, but those talks have not yielded a deal.

Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy at azimmer@chalkbeat.org.

Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.

What is going on with NYC’s public school enrollment? We explain.

2022-08-09T22:19:26+00:00

New York City’s fight over school budget cuts has dominated the news. But at the heart of that debate is declining student enrollment.

Overall, K-12 enrollment has dropped by 9.5% since the pandemic began. Officials are expecting 30,000 fewer K-12 students to be on the rolls this fall compared to last year.

In this most recent school year, three-quarters of schools saw fewer students, a Chalkbeat analysis previously found. Enrollment of Black and white students dropped by 7.5% each, while it dropped by 5% for Asian American students and 4.5% for Latino students.

Enrollment numbers have been declining steadily since the 2015-16 school year – before the steep drops during the pandemic, according to the city’s Independent Budget Office, or IBO.

But there’s also little evidence that families are fleeing traditional public schools for charters or private schools.

Student enrollment has big implications for public schools. Projected declines have already impacted school funding this year. And fewer students could mean tough decisions about school closures and mergers, which education officials have not yet discussed.

Here’s an overview of what is happening with enrollment in New York City:

How does NYC’s enrollment drop compare to the rest of the country?

Enrollment in public schools nationwide dropped by 1.2 million students, or about 2%, between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2020, according to the Return to Learn Tracker, which collects state level data. (This figure does not include prekindergarten).

That tracker shows an additional 91,000 students did not show up to public schools in the fall of 2021. That would put the total drop in enrollment at 1.27 million children nationwide since the pandemic started.

Compared to the national numbers, New York City’s declines are striking and likely have led to the state’s dubious distinction: With 6% fewer students in schools statewide since the pandemic began, New York has seen the biggest declines of any state, according to the tracker.

Enrollment is not dipping evenly across all grades.

To understand why enrollment may be dropping, it’s first important to know which grades are seeing fewer students.

In the 2020-21 school year, most grades in the city’s traditional public schools saw enrollment declines, except for eighth, 10th, 11th and 12th, according to the IBO. The most steep drop was in pre-K for 4-year-olds and kindergarten.

Then, last school year, every grade saw fewer students except the city’s free preschool program for 3-year-olds, which more than doubled as seats have expanded. The biggest decreases were in third grade, followed by sixth grade. First and fifth grades were next. In turn, some of the smallest declines were among pre-K for 4-year-olds, kindergarten, and high school grades except for tenth grade.

However, when comparing to pre-COVID, the largest enrollment drops last year were in pre-K for 4-year-olds, followed by second grade, then kindergarten, third grade and first grade. Nationwide, kindergarten enrollment dipped following the start of the pandemic, but districts began reporting some rebounds this past school year.

Enrollment in New York City’s pre-K and elementary grades ranged between 82% and 88.5% of what they were before the pandemic, the IBO found. Starting in seventh grade through senior year of high school, enrollment ranged between 89% to 99% of what it was pre-pandemic, with the highest levels in the high school years.

So, while enrollment has dipped across every grade since 2019, changes are more pronounced among early grades, despite the availability of free preschool in New York City.

Are students leaving the school system, or are parents choosing not to enroll their children?

The answer is probably both.

Last year, a team of researchers estimated that, after the first year of the pandemic, about a quarter of the nation’s enrollment loss was linked to schools that didn’t offer in-person learning. Remote learning policies specifically dissuaded families of younger children, while it had no significant impact on older students.

A Chalkbeat and Associated Press analysis also found that enrollment among white students dipped more in states where most students were learning virtually.

That could help explain some of the drop in New York City during the 2020-21 school year, when schools were not yet open full time.

“Parents demonstrated they didn’t want kids at that age sitting in front of a computer,” said Thomas Dee, a professor in Stanford’s Graduate School of Education who was part of the research team. He also noted that families wanted a safe in-person option. That could have meant families home-schooled or delayed enrolling their children in preschool or kindergarten.

So what accounts for another drop in enrollment this past school year, when buildings were open full time?

Parents again may have been delaying the start of school for preschool and kindergarten-age children, Dee said. Or parents may have felt more comfortable moving younger children to a new school. Some families might have moved because of the city’s rising cost of living.

City officials have previously linked enrollment declines, in part, to declining birth rates.

A Chalkbeat analysis found that the greatest drop in enrollment happened in schools with the smallest share of low-income students. But, the second biggest drop happened in schools where between three-quarters to all students were poor. Enrollment among low-income students fell nearly 7% this year, more than double that of students who are not considered low-income.

With the rise of remote work, it’s also possible that families are moving to a new place — perhaps to be closer to family or live somewhere more affordable.

Contrary to some theories, there’s no evidence that families are fleeing public schools in droves or for charters and private schools. While the city’s enrollment dropped by about 100,000 students since 2019 — not counting 3K — overall enrollment in city charter schools has grown by just over 10,000 students, or by 7.8%, since the pandemic started. And over that same time period, the city’s private schools actually saw a 3.6% drop in pre-K-12 enrollment, according to state data.

Dee said it’s also possible that more families are home-schooling, and not all of them have registered with the state. Homeschooling nearly doubled, to 14,000 students in New York City, with the largest increases in districts with higher shares of students living in poverty.

Demographic changes, Dee noted, may also play a big role. New York State had some of the largest population declines last year, particularly among school-age children, he said.

“No social behavior has only one cause, and I think as more data become available, we are starting to realize the broader trends that influence the character of enrollment decline and flight from places like New York City,” he said.

What can districts do to build up enrollment?

Mayor Eric Adams and schools Chancellor David Banks have raised alarms about the city’s enrollment numbers and have promised to entice families to choose public schools.

Asked how the administration is planning to do that, a spokesperson pointed to various initiatives the city has rolled out, including rethinking literacy instruction and programs for students with dyslexia, expanding gifted and talented programs, piloting a new Asian American and Pacific Islander curriculum and including parents in the hiring of superintendents, which had a bumpy rollout.

“Chancellor Banks, his leadership team, and every district superintendent is focused on reversing dropping enrollment in our public schools,” Nathaniel Styer, a spokesperson for the education department, wrote in a statement. “This work is informed by listening to families and school communities as well as putting in place policies that will ensure our public schools are the destination of choice for all of our students and families.”

There are a few things that parents typically focus on when it comes to choosing schools for their children, Dee said.

First, parents are attracted to school quality. For many families, that can mean ensuring that schools have high-quality curriculum, well-trained and effective teachers, and often, smaller class sizes, which Dee noted can be a pricey endeavor.

Recent budget cuts due to declining enrollment will likely result in higher class sizes. State lawmakers passed a bill to reduce class sizes in the city’s public schools, but the Adams administration has opposed it, and Gov. Kathy Hochul has yet to sign it.

Families also care that classrooms are “welcoming, inclusive, supportive spaces” for students, Dee said.

From his research, Dee found that parents of young children wanted safe in-person instruction, so he suggested improving COVID mitigations at schools. That includes ventilation and filtration. The city has been shedding safety measures, such as universal masking and social distancing, and city officials have not yet released their safety plans for this fall.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee’s shift to partisan school board elections faces its first big test

2022-07-12T11:00:00+00:00

When early voting for Tennessee’s school board elections begins this week, voters in Williamson County, south of Nashville, will see candidates listed on the ballot with party affiliations for the first time.

Half of a dozen school board seats are up for grabs in one of the state’s most hotly contested local elections. Four of five incumbents are running for reelection as Republicans. One of the nine challengers is also running as a Republican, and two are running as Democrats.

Then there’s Nancy Garrett, a lifelong resident who has been a board member since 2016 and served as chair the last two years. Local leaders urged her to identify herself as a Republican on the ballot in her mostly Republican district.

But Garrett, who has voted in every GOP primary since 2014, couldn’t bring herself to run as either a Republican or a Democrat.

“We expect our teachers to be nonpartisan in the classroom,” said Garrett, who’s running as an independent against Republican Drason Beasley. “How can I set a different standard for myself? And how can I put students first if I’m also thinking about partisan politics?”

“I cannot twist myself like a pretzel,” she said.

Nancy Garrett campaigns as an independent candidate in a neighborhood in her district in Franklin, Tennessee, in her reelection bid to serve on the board of Williamson County Schools.

Not everyone’s on board with the idea, but partisan school board elections are now here in Tennessee, drawing local races under the influence of the national political divide and providing a new source of fuel for the combustive debates over education.

A state law passed last fall gives local political parties more power to choose candidates for races that used to be nonpartisan. In over half of Tennessee counties, a partisan primary selected candidates to run in the coming school board elections on Aug. 4.

“It’s a changed environment,” said Debbie Gould, president of the League of Women Voters of Tennessee, a nonpartisan organization that opposed the change.

“We appreciated nonpartisan elections because it helped the public focus on candidates’ positions instead of their party labels,” said Gould, noting that some partisan candidates have declined to participate in her organization’s forums this summer. “We’re also concerned that voters may not work as hard now to learn about those positions.”

Tennessee’s partisan pivot, and the outcomes of races like Garrett’s, are being closely watched in states like Arizona, Florida, Indiana, and Missouri, where similar partisan school board bills stalled but could be reintroduced in a nation riven by party politics.

“The pandemic, and school reopenings in particular, punched the chest of national politics, and education has moved quickly from being local to national to partisan,” said Jonathan E. Collins, assistant professor of education and international and public affairs at Brown University, who is writing a book about the politics of school boards.

“All eyes are on Tennessee to see if this is a viable political strategy,” he said of the upcoming elections. “If there’s a surge in campaign donations, voter turnout, and partisan representation on school boards, it will signal to other Republican-leaning states to pass similar legislation. But if it backfires and we see a countermobilization, it could serve as a flare for other states to stay away.”

COVID, CRT, and book bans set stage for partisan elections

Since the early 1900s, the vast majority of the nation’s 13,000 local school boards have been elected without using political party labels.

The reasoning was that the critical but often mundane work of elected school officials — passing budgets, hiring and firing superintendents, setting school policies, approving vendor contracts — should be shielded as much as possible from potential sources of conflict that could distract them from local education issues and their obligation to students.

But the shock of the pandemic and recent cultural battles over curriculum and instruction thrust locally elected school leaders into the spotlight, and provided a platform for conservative Republicans to rally more support around divisive education issues such as mask requirements, book bans, and the rights of transgender students.

Last year, politicians took note when Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin defeated his Democratic opponent, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, on a promise to give parents more say in their kids’ education. And when sketching its education agenda, the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute urged conservative officials to “strongly consider” pivoting to partisan school board elections.

Republican leaders in Tennessee were among the first to follow that advice. Last fall, the state’s GOP supermajority approved a partisan school board election law during a special legislative session on COVID restrictions. The measure headed to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature before opponents, including organizations representing school boards and superintendents, could mobilize against it.

The law will mean different things for voters depending on where they live and whether they elect board members at large or by district. In most cases, local political parties took the lead in recruiting this year’s candidates for primaries. According to state election officials, 57 of 95 Tennessee counties held at least one school board primary election for at least one political party.

In a few cases, there were no primaries, but local political parties convened caucuses to nominate their candidates.

And in some communities — including Tennessee’s largest district, in Memphis, a Democratic stronghold — local parties rejected partisan school board elections, and nonpartisan races remain the norm.

Clashes between parents and school leaders

Not surprisingly, the partisan shift appears more pronounced in communities where school leaders took the most heat from parents in recent years, especially for pandemic-related health and safety policies like masking, and remote vs. in-person learning.

Candidates have opted to use party labels in urban districts in Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, along with large suburban school systems in Madison, Montgomery, Rutherford, and Wilson counties.

“It’s become a very toxic environment,” said Tucker McClendon, outgoing board chair for Chattanooga-based Hamilton County Schools, where angry parents surrounded the boardroom and banged on windows during one meeting in May 2021. Police eventually called in backup officers to control the crowd as the board rejected a proposal to let students remove their masks for the final days of the school year.

McClendon fears the tone will get even worse under the partisan shift.

“Many people running for the board are on polar opposites of the political spectrum,” he said, “and some don’t actually seem to grasp what a school board does.”

The president of the Tennessee School Boards Association agrees.

“The most effective school boards are those that can reach a compromise. If you can’t do that, you get gridlock,” said Keys Fillauer, who has served on the board for Oak Ridge City Schools since 2001.

Collins, the Brown University researcher who grew up attending public schools in Jackson, Tennessee, says he’ll be watching closely to see if partisan-elected school boards will govern differently from nonpartisan boards, especially when it comes to serving students who need the most help.

Many partisan candidates in Tennessee are talking more about history curriculum and mask mandates than about student poverty, learning loss, and equity, he noted.

“You’re having these partisan fights over education that cover up some of the more important daily issues that need to be addressed policywise,” he said.

Scott Golden, chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, counters that party identification will help voters make more informed decisions.

“During the pandemic, every parent was right to get more involved in education when their kids were learning from home,” he said. “That experience really brought to the kitchen table how decisions made by nonpartisan boards were directly impacting their children and families.”

Golden says party labels will encourage voters to weigh in on school board races instead of leaving boxes blank by names they don’t recognize.

“Partisan races just provide more information about the philosophical beliefs of candidates,” he said.

Golden also believes that all school officials will be more accountable to voters if board members declare their political inclinations up front.

“Schools account for 75% to 80% of county budgets, and it’s only right that voters and taxpayers should know as much as possible about the school board members who are overseeing that,” he said.

The pushback is bipartisan

Democrats generally opposed partisan school board races, but their state party still sought to recruit candidates to stay competitive, said Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Hendrell Remus.

“Without a party label or party resources, it’s going to be difficult for independent candidates to win,” Remus said. “And if we don’t engage, there’s also a greater likelihood of misinformation when it comes to things like critical race theory and book banning and other divisive ideas about education being circulated by a fringe element of the Republican Party.”

Still, many candidates are pushing back.

In Oak Ridge, a Republican-leaning town near Knoxville that’s home to several federal nuclear research facilities, all four candidates are running as independents for three at-large seats on the five-member school board.

“The Republican Party tried to recruit people to run as Republicans but weren’t able to,” said Fillauer, the board’s chairman, who is not up for reelection.

“I hope that’s because our candidates are running for the right reason, which is to provide a quality education for all students,” added the retired teacher and coach.

In Murfreesboro, a college town south of Nashville, three of the four candidates are running as independents for three at-large seats on the city’s school board. Among them is Amanda Moore, a mom and attorney who is seeking a second term in office.

“I’ve worked hard as a board member for four years and developed a lot of relationships,” Moore said. “I trust the voters of Murfreesboro will look past party labels.”

The sole declared Republican in the race, retired teacher Barbara Long, says embracing a party label was tactical because she’s a political newcomer in a large district.

“In the campaign realm, it’s an identifier,” she said. “It helps people get to know who you are and what you stand for. It’s like saying you’re a Baptist.”

Will partisanship scare away qualified candidates and leaders?

Critics worried early on that the new law would diminish the pool of qualified candidates by attracting more partisan warriors and discouraging some civic-minded parents. There are signs that’s happening.

Knoxvillian Rachel Snyder Miller, a former teacher with a master’s degree in public administration, has long been interested in running for office. She is passionate about education policy issues like equity and diversity and is inspired by an aunt who once served on a school board and her own 3-year-old daughter who will one day attend Knox County Schools.

But the new partisan law and the school board rancor she’s seen play out during the pandemic changed her mind about running this year.

“I don’t know if I can be part of a partisan school board,” said Miller, who also worried that campaigning for both a primary and a general election would be too costly and time-consuming.

McClendon, who will leave his board in Chattanooga in September, worries the partisan shift will drive out good education leaders, whether on boards or at the central office.

“I tried to get good people to run for my seat, and they said they wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole,” McClendon said. “As for superintendents, I don’t think any smart person would want to answer to 11 partisan-elected officials. They’d have to think long and hard about the ramifications to their careers.”

Nancy Garrett (second from right) poses with her father, William Nelson, an award-winning chemistry teacher at Williamson County’s Franklin High School, in this 1968 family photograph.

Garrett, the candidate who chose to run as an independent in Williamson County, knows that she’s facing a tough political fight without a party label. And the stakes couldn’t be higher, she said.

“If we elect school board members who lead in a partisan way and not a professional way, we’ll lose the trust of our educators and they’ll leave,” said Garrett, whose late father was an award-winning teacher in the district where she now serves on the board.

“It’s a fight,” she said, “over everything this community values about education.”

Marta W. Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

New York to increase weekly instruction for medically fragile students

2022-05-17T20:45:15+00:00

New York state officials will increase the number of hours students with medical conditions must receive after a flurry of questions from parents and school districts — but the mandate won’t take effect until the 2023-2024 school year.

The changes affect students who, for medical reasons, won’t be in school for at least 10 days over a three-month period and are learning from home or a hospital setting. Starting in 2023, these students must receive at least 10 hours of weekly instruction, up from five, if they’re in elementary or middle school, and at least 15 hours for high schoolers, an increase from 10 hours a week.

The increase does not go into effect until 2023 because state officials wanted to give districts time to budget properly, according to a spokesperson for the state education department.

“I think there was a common understanding that the five to 10 hours were not nearly enough,” Mary Beth Casey, assistant commissioner at the state education department, told the Board of Regents Monday.

State officials say the new regulations come after hearing many questions from caregivers and districts as the pandemic wore on about how to provide instruction for medically fragile children, including immunocompromised students. They’re also, for the first time, requiring districts to follow a timeline to approve and provide such instruction for these students.

In New York City, 20 different conditions qualify children for medically necessary instruction. This school year, just over 2,500 students applied for such services, and 84% of them were approved, according to an education department spokesperson, who did not immediately share the equivalent pre-pandemic data. Sixty-five percent of these children received in-person instruction, which involves a teacher coming to their home or another setting to teach them, while the rest was virtual.

At the start of this school year, parents whose children have medical conditions and were at higher risk for severe COVID infections faced agonizing decisions about whether to send them back to school buildings. Should they risk their child getting infected, or should they apply for the home instruction program, which would mean getting 1-2 hours of schooling a day?

“We had to make a really difficult decision to send her to school,” parent Rodney Lee told Chalkbeat in October about his daughter who has a seizure disorder and was at a higher risk for severe COVID. “Every day we pray, and we hope that she stays healthy.”

The new rules will mean just an extra hour of learning a day for these students. Still, it’s a “really critical” change for families, said Maggie Moroff, a special education policy expert at Advocates for Children, who said that even pre-pandemic students at home were getting far fewer hours of instruction when compared to their peers in school.

“There was so little oversight, and experiences were so dramatically different, but in a world where more and more students are needing to learn from home in order to remain healthy and safe, we really want to make sure that they get the supports that they need,” Moroff said.

The state also created several more requirements that districts must meet.

Previously, there was no required timeline around how quickly students could be approved and receive such instruction. Starting this July, districts must start home or hospital instruction for a child within five school days of either being notified of that student’s medical condition or a guardian’s request for such instruction — whichever happens first. Districts must decide and notify parents whether their child is eligible for home or hospital instruction five days after a parent or guardian sends a doctor’s note verifying the child’s medical condition. Parents can appeal a denial within five days, but the district must continue providing services while the appeal is being considered.

Creating an approval timeline could also have a big impact on families. Moroff said some cases took so long for services to be set up, that some children lost months of schooling.

“We would wait sometimes for months for their home instruction to start, even after it had been approved,” Moroff said.

The state is also requiring districts to create plans for these students that describe how many hours of instruction they’ll receive and how their lesson plans are keeping them on track — something New York City already does, the city spokesperson said.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

Proposal would make it easier for NY students to pass Regents exams

2022-05-17T14:50:38+00:00

Update: The Board of Regents approved this proposal on Tuesday, May 17.

After a third school year disrupted by the pandemic, New York state officials want to allow students to more easily appeal failing scores on Regents exams, starting this spring through the end of next school year.

Students now must earn a 65 or higher to pass Regents exams, which are required to earn a high school diploma. But students could appeal scores of 50-64 if they pass the related course under a proposal expected to come before the state Board of Regents Tuesday. If approved, the change would go into effect immediately, likely allowing more students to meet graduation requirements.

The changes are meant to soften the blow COVID has had on schools across the state this year and would mark the third year in a row that officials have changed rules around New York’s high school exit exams. The pandemic has “continued to have adverse impacts on students and schools,” and that instruction has “varied significantly across the state,” state officials wrote in a memo about the proposed changes.

New York is approaching a “high alert” level for COVID with hospitalizations on the rise, and it’s possible schools could see yet another major disruption to student and staff attendance. During the omicron variant surge after winter break, cases skyrocketed among New York City schools students and staff, disrupting schooling and leaving children at home with little to no instruction.

While attendance improved after that surge, chronic absenteeism in New York City could reach the worst levels since at least 2000 if attendance rates don’t improve.

The temporary changes proposed Monday make it significantly easier for students to appeal failing scores. That may ultimately help to once again boost the state’s graduation rate, which was on the rise before the pandemic but has continued to increase as Regents have been canceled or decoupled from graduation requirements.

Currently, students can appeal failing scores of 60-64, with some exceptions for students learning English as a new language and students with disabilities. But there are a slew of other restrictions: Students can only appeal a score if they’ve failed the exam at least twice, have passed the related course, have received extra academic help in the subject, and are recommended for an exemption by a teacher or department chair. Students can only appeal scores on two of their five Regents exams that are required to graduate. Under the proposal, students must pass the related course but don’t need to meet any of these other requirements through next school year. Their parent or guardian, however, may refuse a granted appeal if they want the student to receive more instruction.

Regents exams have been a long debated topic in New York, one of about a dozen states that administers a high school exit exam. State officials are rethinking the role of the exam and will launch a pilot program looking at new ways to earn a diploma. In recent years, the Regents have made it easier to meet exam requirements by approving more pathways to graduation and lowering the score needed for an appeal.

This will be the third school year that state officials have tweaked rules about Regents exams in response to the pandemic. State officials canceled the exams when the pandemic first hit in the 2019-2020 school year. In the 2020-2021 school year, students were not required to pass exams in order to graduate as they currently are, and most Regents exams were canceled. January exams were canceled this year during the omicron surge.

Regent Roger Tilles, who represents Long Island, criticized the department’s decision to continue with the exams this year and said they are “twisting like a pretzel” to make the exams work instead of rethinking how they are being administered this year.

“Virtually everything on Long Island is being disrupted fairly drastically, and I’ve talked to a number of school superintendents, and their numbers are very high of kids who are out of school right now, and I think we ought to reevaluate how we are re-administering the Regents,” Tilles said.

Asked why the state didn’t instead remove the exams as graduation requirements, a spokesperson pointed to the proposal memo, which said the exams are important “as one of multiple measures of student achievement in the 2021-2022 school year.” The tests can help determine whether students are achieving state learning standards, the memo said, and help state officials determine steps “to foster equity and improve educational opportunities.”

But decades of research shows these exams don’t better-prepare students for life after high school and, in fact, can harm students of color from low-income families.

One Brooklyn high school principal said he expected the state to expand safety net options for students this year, as rates of chronic absenteeism have shot up and COVID has continued to disrupt instruction with many students and staff forced to isolate at home.

But the principal, who requested anonymity to speak freely, questioned the decision to make the exams easier to pass rather than canceling them.

“The breadth of material tested is so large that every teacher who teaches Regents feels that content pressure at the best of times,” the principal said. “This year, so many students are out so many days, the crunch becomes exacerbated.”

Even though the exams will be easier to pass, students still will face pressure to score well above a 50, as low Regents scores typically appear on student transcripts, the principal said.

“On top of all the trauma and challenges they’ve been through over the past two years, I’m not sure what the state is hoping to accomplish by having the Regents exams at all,” he added.

Alex Zimmerman contributed.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

What the education panel’s rejection of NYC’s funding formula means for schools

2022-04-28T23:52:27+00:00

What began Wednesday night as a routine vote by the city’s Panel For Educational Policy ended with concern among principals, union officials, and even the schools chancellor about the potential delay of school budgets and plans for the upcoming school year.

The panel, a mostly appointed board that makes decisions on major contracts and policies, rejected an annual request from the city to approve its 15-year-old school funding formula, which sends more money to schools that are struggling academically, as well as those with higher shares of students with disabilities and English language learners.

The formula accounts for about $10 billion in funding and makes up 65% of a school’s budget, most of which goes toward hiring staff, and the vote could delay school leaders’ ability to build classes for their students next year, said Lindsey Oates, the department’s chief financial officer. Though city officials said they are “committed” to reviewing the formula, Chancellor David Banks called the vote “deeply disappointing.”

The matter may be made moot by a May 18 meeting if all of Mayor Eric Adams’ appointees are present — one of them was absent Wednesday night — or if he appoints a new panel member to replace one he forced to resign in March.

Either way, the controversy highlights longstanding concerns about whether the formula is equitable enough, such as it not providing extra support for students who are homeless. When members of the public raised those concerns, at least one panel member who had planned to vote “yes” abstained instead.

“It was a moral vote in the sense of making sure that we held the city accountable for once again forgetting the most vulnerable students,” said panel member Kaliris Salas-Ramirez, who was appointed by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “We do not in any shape or form want it to impact school communities, and we will definitely do our best to push forward and to have some form of clarity or agreement.”

The panel’s vote is unlikely to have an immediate effect on school budgets, according to a former senior education department official who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak freely. But if the panel does not approve the funding formula at its next meeting in May, or if panel members approve a modified version that requires recalculating school budgets, that could delay principals’ ability to plan and make hiring decisions for next school year since they won’t have a clear sense of their upcoming budgets.

“Do I think it’s the end of the world? No,” the former official said. “Do I think it’s a really bad practice? Yes.”

How did this happen?

The mayor appoints nine people, or a majority, to the 15-member board, meaning the administration’s proposals are rarely rejected. However, Adams has failed to replace a minister who was forced to resign after the New York Daily News revealed her anti-gay writing.

Additionally, another mayoral appointee was absent because of a family emergency, according to Gregory Faulkner, panel member and mayoral appointee. That left the administration with seven of the eight votes they needed. While they all voted yes, the members appointed by borough presidents all abstained, and the elected member, Tom Sheppard, voted no.

Wednesday night’s vote stunned some observers. To some, the vote suggested that City Hall and the education department were not paying close enough attention to how PEP members planned to vote — or even ensuring they had filled every vacancy allocated to the mayor.

“Weeks leading into a PEP meeting you had to understand where people were on the issues,” the former education department official said. “Is someone managing this process?”

Still, the former official said: “The likeliest outcome is they commit to the PEP to rethink the funding formula for next year and they bring it back for a vote.”

That’s along the lines of what Salas-Ramirez is hoping for. Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, education department officials briefed the panel members on the funding formula.

Salas-Ramirez said she raised concerns about the formula during her group briefing and in a one-on-one discussion with a department official.

Eventually, Salas-Ramirez felt that Oates and other department officials were frank with her, understood that the formula needs to change, and were committed to reworking it, so she had planned to vote “yes” Wednesday night.

“But then last night, the community outreach was so powerful,” Salas-Ramirez said. “Having so many [Community Education Council] members and folks in the community talking about the inequities in the Fair Student Funding formula for students with disabilities, the limitations that it has in terms of serving marginalized communities, the lack of accountability of students who live below the line of poverty and temporary housing — all of those things really resonated with us.”

Some of the panel members seemed to be swayed by NeQuan McLean, president of the parent council in District 16, who said that he was part of a city task force that spent nine months making recommendations to change the formula that were ultimately not released to the public.

A copy of that draft report, which was never officially released by the de Blasio administration, shows nine recommendations. They include adding new weight to the formula for students living in poverty, are homeless or in foster care, and increasing weight for high schools to match those that have “specialized academic portfolios” — an issue related to how the formula sends money to some higher performing schools, which tend to enroll fewer Black and Hispanic students.

There were no specific recommendations about what the weights should be, but instead suggestions on what steps the city should taske next. Some of the recommendations appeared to have the support of a majority, but not all, task force members.

Members of the panel asked why that report wasn’t released, and some asked to see a copy, including Salas-Ramirez. Faulkner, the mayoral appointee, said in an interview that he’d like a copy, too.

On Wednesday night, Oates, who worked during de Blasio’s tenure, said she “cannot speak to the previous administration’s decision to not release the report,” but noted that the release was planned around when the pandemic hit.

She said the city should discuss how the formula can be improved and that she understands “the frustration” around the task force’s work not being released or enacted upon. But what should also be considered is that the recommendations in the report “would require new resources to pay for [them]” which won’t be an easy lift. Despite this, the city previously addressed one of the biggest criticisms by giving schools all the money they were owed under this formula, following historic increases in state funding and an infusion of federal stimulus dollars.

Salas-Ramirez said she and other borough appointees had no plan to abstain together during the Wednesday vote, and said she abstained instead of voting “no” because she had not discussed the matter with Levine, her appointer. Still, she called the resulting vote “a strategy” to get the city to commit to working on a revamp of the formula.

“What we can do with this vote is take this opportunity to have a formal commitment to make a change by next year,” she said.

Faulkner said he felt fully informed during his briefings. He agrees that there are problems with the formula, but last night felt like the wrong time to vote it down. He also felt “somewhat surprised” by the comments because no one on the panel had raised issues with the formula until Wednesday night.

“I think there are definitely issues with the formula but because it was last-minute, we need to err on the side of, ‘What’s gonna do the least harm?’” Faulkner said. “If this was a bad formula, like, OK, I get it, but do we now put all of the kids in jeopardy?”

What does this mean for schools?

It wouldn’t be the first time school budgets would be delayed. Oates said schools received their budgets in July and June in 2020 and 2021, respectively, due to the “extreme fiscal crisis” the city was facing due to the pandemic.

Before the pandemic, schools typically received their budget plans in mid-May, meaning that they knew how much money they would get for the following school year and could begin to make decisions on hiring and how many classes they may need.

Former Washington Heights principal Julie Zuckerman said the delay in her budget last year caused a hiring mess at her school. She was feuding with the education department over an apparent miscalculation, which prevented her from hiring another teacher before the start of the school year — issues that perhaps could have been resolved had her budget come on time.

“It’s a many-tiered situation, and when one little piece goes off, it has a lot of repercussions,” Zuckerman said.

Mark Cannizzaro, head of the city’s principals union, said he doesn’t anticipate a major impact to school budgets if the PEP approves the funding formula at its next meeting but warned of disruptions to school planning if funding uncertainty extends beyond that.

“It’s got to be straightened out at the next meeting,” he said. “The city and the DOE should have made sure this was going to pass prior to the vote.”

Before the vote was cast, Banks said his immediate reaction upon hearing concern from panel members was to table the matter, but it was too late to do that.

“Essentially what we’re saying is that we don’t have time to address it now, which leaves you essentially with no choice as PEP members in how we should be moving forward,” Banks said. “I’m not happy with that process.”

An education department spokesperson declined to say what the city was planning to do next.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan coalition: Don’t neglect recess

2022-04-19T21:53:32+00:00

Reading, writing, and ’rithmetic are important, but one group of Michigan educators and business leaders wants to make sure schools don’t forget about a fourth R: recess.

Roughly one in five elementary school students gets less than 20 minutes of recess time each day, according to a new survey of school administrators conducted by the Coalition for Michigan Schoolchildren’s Right to Play.

In some districts, children get little more than a few minutes of playtime in the gymnasium after lunch, said Paul Liabenow, a member of the coalition and executive director of the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association.

The survey comes after two years of disrupted learning when quarantines and school closures forced children into virtual learning without opportunities for free play or in-person interaction with classmates during school.

That loss contributed to changes in children’s physical and mental health, said Rebecca Hasson, associate professor of kinesiology and director of InPACT, a University of Michigan project to promote physical activity in schools.

Children need recess now more than ever, Hasson said Monday in a telephone interview.

“It isn’t just fun, but there are actually many mental, emotional, and physical benefits that come with free time,” she said.

The Right to Play coalition, which formed last year, does not have comparative data over time, but Liabenow said he believes recess time has been shrinking as districts struggle to provide enough equipment and staff to supervise unstructured play.

Hasson attributes the contraction to many factors.

“You need equipment. You need staffing. You need to make sure there are precautions in place so children don’t get hurt. You need training on how to effectively monitor recess so it will be a positive experience,” she said.

In some small schools, the biggest obstacle is scheduling playtime around physical education classes that occur in the same spaces as recess, Liabenow said.

The pressure to improve test scores could be a factor, too, coalition members said.

That’s particularly true in districts where administrators are unaware of research showing that recess is associated with higher academic achievement, Liabenow said. He wasn’t when he was a principal in Cadillac Area Public Schools.

“For the first 20 years of my career, I would say we need to double down on instruction and set aside playtime, but research doesn’t support that idea,” he said.

Recess is not required by law in Michigan, although the state Board of Education in 2012 recommended that all public schools offer at least 30 minutes of vigorous physical activity outside of physical education classes, including at least 20 minutes of recess.

That’s in line with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations and with laws in several other states.

Coalition members have been talking with lawmakers about the importance of recess, but have focused on educating administrators to increase recess time without a state mandate.

“Our hope is we can [encourage schools to prioritize recess] simply by virtue of informing and offering ideas for how to make it work with schedules and staffing,” Liabenow said.

In Leelanau County, in the northwestern Lower Peninsula, Principal Ryan Schrock needs no convincing. His students at Glen Lake Elementary School get at least 50 minutes of recess per day spread across three breaks.

“That’s not negotiable. It’s important time for kids,” Schrock said. And it doesn’t mean they aren’t learning just because they’re playing, he said.

“When they’re engaging with each other, they’re using language in really meaningful ways, so giving them that time to be outside at recess” can lead to academic improvement as well, Schrock said — especially if certified teachers are monitoring recess and engaging with them.

Survey respondents included 964 educators and school board members from all areas of the state.

Six percent of respondents said their elementary school students had an hour or more of recess per day; 10% said 45-60 minutes; 29% said 30-44 minutes; and 26% said 20-29 minutes. Six percent were unsure, and 5% did not provide an answer.

Eighty-four percent of respondents said they would support a statewide policy requiring elementary schools to provide 20 minutes of outdoor recess per day; 4% said they oppose; 6% said they neither support nor oppose; and 6% did not provide an answer.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

Along with its survey results, the Coalition for Michigan Schoolchildren’s Right to Play issued guidance to schools:

Access to recess should not be taken away as a form of discipline.
Beyond recess, schools should offer at least 40 minutes of play per day.
There should be at least one adult on the playground for every 18 children.
Students should be made aware of clear playground rules and community norms.
Recess should be held even in inclement weather. It could be moved indoors if necessary.
Adult monitors should be actively engaged with children during recess.
Children should be given the autonomy and leadership to lead peers and select from a variety of games that are inclusive and fair.

The coalition was convened by Playworks Michigan, a nonprofit group that advocates for improving children’s health and well-being.

Tracie Mauriello covers state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit and Bridge Michigan. Reach her at tmauriello@chalkbeat.org.

Returning homeschoolers, kindergarteners drive Michigan enrollment rebound

2022-04-12T22:12:30+00:00

Michigan students are returning to the public school system after a sharp drop in enrollment during the pandemic — but it’s not clear whether or when schools will ever get back to pre-pandemic headcounts.

That’s the upshot of a presentation given to the Michigan Board of Education on Tuesday by some of the state’s top education data officials. It will come as welcome news to Michigan educators, who have been warning since early in the pandemic that students displaced by building closures and the shift to remote schooling were missing out on critical education experiences.

The enrollment figures also have major financial implications for public schools, because the state distributes funding to districts on a per pupil basis.

Michigan has roughly 1.4 million public school students in grades preK-12. The state’s rolls grew by 5,800 students this school year, after shrinking by roughly 62,000 students in the first year of the pandemic.

Michigan’s population has been declining for more than a decade, a trend mirrored in school enrollment, which fell by 0.8% annually during that period.

The presentation came from the Michigan’s Center for Educational Performance and Information, a state agency that collects and reports education data. Here are some of the key takeaways:

The return of home-schoolers and private school students

During the first year of the pandemic, when many or all Michigan public school students were learning online or remotely, nearly 20,000 students left public schools for private schools or home schooling, more than three times as many as in previous years.

But now that schools statewide have returned to in-person instruction, signs point to fewer departures — and more students returning.

In 2021, fewer than 10,000 students left Michigan public schools for home-schooling or private schools. That’s a sharp decrease from the previous year, though still higher than pre-pandemic norms.

What’s more, students who left in 2020 seem to be returning in greater numbers than in the past.

“Very early analysis suggests that students who exited to non-public and home school in 2020 may be returning at a higher rate than similar exiters in 2018,” said Lauren Paluta, PK-12 Data Manager for CEPI.

Just over 40% have come back since 2020, she said, compared with fewer than 25% before the pandemic.

Home-schooling figures in Michigan may not be precise, since parents don’t have to notify their school if they decide to homeschool their kids.

Young children’s enrollment saw the biggest decline — and the biggest rebound

Preschool and kindergarten enrollment fell very sharply in 2020 as many parents opted to wait before starting their young children in school amid the pandemic. The 33.1% decline in preschool student enrollment — from 47,614 to 31,853 — was larger than any other grade.

This year, though, preschool enrollment rose to 43,470, a 36.5% increase, though still short of pre-pandemic levels.

Kindergarten enrollment also rebounded sharply to roughly 114,744, a 7.7% increase; a year earlier, it had fallen 11.3% to 106,539 from 120,133 in 2019.

Full-time virtual schools expanded sharply

Schools that offer all of their classes online have grown by more than 12,000 students, or 72%, since fall 2019.

The enrollment increase was fastest during the first year of the pandemic, then slowed down this year.

Fully virtual schools, which may be run by a charter school or a traditional school district, now account for about 2.1% of the state’s enrollment, up from 1.2% in 2019.

Koby Levin is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering K-12 schools and early childhood education. Contact Koby at klevin@chalkbeat.org.

Seen in school: How COVID shaped two years of education

2022-03-29T12:00:00+00:00

The world was warned about a rash of pneumonia-like infections clustered in Wuhan, China, about a week into 2020. By March of that same year, the novel coronavirus was declared a pandemic.

Since then, COVID has demanded a wide range of responses, from stay-at-home orders and shuttered institutions to mask mandates and testing protocols. More than two years into the global health crisis, our nation’s schools — teachers, staff, and the students and families they serve — are still dealing with challenges.

Chalkbeat journalists have documented the difficulties school communities have faced and are still facing. We’ve shared with our readers the chaos of school closures and re-openings, the mental health struggles of grieving and isolated families, and the staff shortages that many districts are confronting. We’ve also shared stories of resilience, success, and joy.

Here is a collection of our stories and photographs documenting the lived experiences of school communities during COVID.

Newark: One teacher called, texted, and trudged through the snow to reach her students

Joicki Floyd and her daughter Donnell practice learning numbers on a chalkboard wall in their kitchen during Floyd’s break from classes.

Joicki Floyd, a ninth grade English teacher at Weequahic High School in Newark, watched COVID tear through the city where she was born. Floyd, 45, saw the disease strike down her neighbors and colleagues, adding to the list of COVID-19 casualties who were disproportionately Black and Hispanic.

Floyd kept teaching. She gave lessons over video, responded to students’ texts and emails late into the night, and trudged through the snow to track down teenagers who went missing. It became clear is that the skill she had sharpened over 20 years of teaching — her gift for connecting with students and drawing out their inner strength — had equipped her for this all-consuming crisis.

“This is what I do,” she said. “If I didn’t do it, I would feel frustrated. I would feel empty. I would feel like I’d be cheating my community and the children.”

Memphis and Detroit: Freshmen adjust to remote learning

Memphis high school student Jalan Clemmons (left) in his living room during a break from virtual classes. Detroit high school student King Bethel (right) was motivated after lessons about the history of redlining in his city.

Memphis student Jalan Clemmons struggled with remote learning during the pandemic. At one point, he discovered he was missing more than 70 assignments, but found a way to catch up after two months.

King Bethel, also a freshman and a talented singer and student at Detroit School of Arts, is used to being noticed for his voice. Inspired by a lesson about the history of redlining in Detroit, he used that voice to become a leader at the School of Arts, working on a speech for a public speaking competition called “Project Soapbox”

“I wasn’t trying to entertain,” he said. “I was trying to teach.”

Michigan: State’s ratings add stress for child care providers

A preschooler rides around on a scooter during playtime at Little Scholars child care center in Detroit.

Child care providers such as Linda Byrd and Shirley Wright were outraged that they didn’t get a reprieve from Michigan’s rating system during the pandemic, even as the state sought to pause accountability systems for K-12 schools. The state handed out fewer ratings overall — and fewer high ratings — to child care providers, our reporting found.

“My bills are not going to change because of this rating, but my money did,” said Wright, director of Little Scholars child care centers in Detroit, whose star rating dropped from a four to a three during the pandemic. “If education starts at birth, why do we treat early childhood education like it’s not education?”

Brooklyn: Internship pays students to tutor their peers

Alandinio Cineas works through an algebra problem with his tutor Chahima Dieudonne at Brooklyn High School for Excellence and Equity in Canarsie.

Brooklyn high school freshman Alandinio Cineas was stumped by an algebra assignment asking him to write and graph an equation showing how many different pieces of fruit he could buy with $15.

He shared the problem on his computer screen with senior Chahima Dieudonne. The students were in the same room, but divided by a cubicle and logged into a virtual meeting. With masks pulled over their noses, they were close enough to hear each other speak but kept their distance to limit the chance of spreading COVID.

Dieudonne read the problem a few times and thought out loud, in both English and Creole. Then she and Cineas spent the next hour figuring out his math homework together.

Dieudonne is one of roughly 15 students at Brooklyn Community High School for Excellence and Equity who is paid through a school internship program to provide one-on-one peer tutoring to students like Cineas who need extra help.

Chicago: Parents help their children learn to read

Leslie Trejo and her daughter Ariadne at Carole Robertson Center for Learning in Chicago. Trejo, like many Chicago parents, found herself spending extra time trying to teach her daughter the foundations of reading during virtual learning.

Leslie Trejo, like most parents, doesn’t like playing the bad guy. But she accepted the role, if it gets her kindergarten daughter the extra reading practice she needs.

At Trejo’s home in Little Village, that means taking 15 minutes on Saturday afternoon to practice memorizing words such as “of,” “to,” and “was” — all while asking her third grade daughter to play nearby. The lesson: Fun comes after flashcards.

When COVID-19 forced schooling into the home, Chicago families like the Trejos found themselves suddenly on the front lines: watching, coaxing, teaching, and sometimes, throwing up their hands in frustration as their children tried to learn the basic building blocks of reading.

Chicago: COVID widened education gaps for boys of color

Nathaniel Martinez bikes to school through the Northwest Side of Chicago. There is evidence that the 2020-21 school year has taken a greater toll on Black and Latino boys.

As the promise of spring hung over Chicago, three teenage boys tussled with insomnia, sifting through the fallout of a pandemic year’s interlocking crises.

Here and across the country there is growing evidence that the 2020-21 school year has hit Black and Latino boys — young men like Derrick Magee, Nathaniel Martinez and Leonel Gonzalez— harder than other students. Amid rising gun violence, a national reckoning over race, bitter school reopening battles and a deadly virus that took the heaviest toll on Black and Latino communities, the year has tested not only these teens, but also the school systems that have historically failed many of them.

NYC, Newark: A 360-degree look COVID’s impact on school communities

Children and parents work on a community garden in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of New York City.

Roseville Community Charter School students practice social distancing as they leave a music class.

Chalkbeat, in partnership with Univision 41, took a deep dive into two school communities: New York City’s P.S. 89, and Newark’s Roseville Community Charter School. These two schools, both in neighborhoods devastated by the COVID pandemic, became lifelines for the communities they serve even as their staff dealt with the same challenges and loss as their families.

Through the experiences of educators, families, and staff, we captured how these communities adapted to the upheaval brought about by the pandemic, and how they laid the groundwork for recovery and a return to school buildings.

Detroit: My senior year in pictures

Detroit student photographer Caria Taylor documented her journey through the pandemic, reflecting on milestone moments like her prom and graduation.

Through pictures and an original poem, titled “Fantasy Turns Into Reality,” Caria Taylor, a graduating senior at Detroit’s Cass Tech High School, gave a first-hand account of her journey in three parts: watching her creative voice blossom at the height of the pandemic, experiencing the joy of prom and graduation, and returning to some level of normalcy as she and her friends spend time together before they venture into adulthood.

Chicago: Graduation becomes a more significant milestone

(Left) Whitney M. Young Magnet High School graduate Elijah Warren during the school’s graduation at Chicago’s Soldier Field. (Right) Parents celebrate their graduating children at Simon Youth Academy’s graduation in Indianapolis.

Natasha Walker, Linda McDowell-Stagg Jr., and Reverend Earl Stagg Jr. celebrate their niece and granddaughter Nairobi Toombs as she crosses the stage during her graduation ceremony from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School.

“You made it through the pandemic,” Whitney Young Magnet School Principal Joyce Kenner told her students during their graduation on Chicago’s Soldier Field. “You can make it through anything.”

Across the country, graduating seniors from the Class of 2021 overcame unprecedented obstacles in receiving their diplomas. Our reporters documented these milestone events through students like Whitney Young Magnet senior Elijah Warren, and the graduating class of Indianapolis’ alternative high school Simon Youth Academy.

The Comeback: Aurora, Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Newark return to school

The comeback to the nation’s schools in the Fall of 2021 was a period of both excitement and worry in the midst of the COVID pandemic.

Chicago siblings Mila and Mateo leave for their first day of school at Talcott Elementary School after spending a year learning from their home.

Over a year after COVID closed school buildings, students returned to in-person learning. This comeback brought mixed feelings to many families, who felt both relief and trepidation amidst the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Our journalists watched this return unfold in several districts around the nation, seeing the joy of children, educators, parents, and politicians as they welcomed learners back to the classroom. For some students, it was a return to a routine they hadn’t experienced for over 18 months. For other students, it would be their first time in a school building.

Newark: Bus driver shortage leaves students with disabilities behind

Maryah Santos (center) colors a picture alongside her cousin, Isabella Santos (left), and her mother, Shannon Lutz-Santos at her home.

Maryah Santos, 14, listened as her mom tried to explain why she was stuck at home once again. School had started in early September and still no bus was headed to their home in Newark’s east ward.

“I love school so much, mommy,” Maryah said.

“I know, you love school,” Shannon Lutz told her daughter, whose intellectual disability makes it difficult to grasp why the bus hasn’t come and why she’s been home instead of reconnecting with teachers and classmates at school.

In New Jersey, where no virtual learning option was offered for the 2021-22 school year, 7,000 students like Maryah were either left without bus service or affected by last-minute changes to transportation caused by a shortage of school bus drivers that hit its peak in September, just as schools were reopening.

Colorado: Two Hispanic brothers wanted to go to college. Only one made it.

Luis Hernandez looks out the window on the train to MSU Denver. He dreams of one day having the ability to own a house with a big kitchen and living room for him and his family to live in.

Jimy and Luis Hernandez’s alarm wakes them before the sun rises.

The brothers try to move quietly about their parents’ northeast Denver home so they don’t disturb their siblings.

Luis, 18, might watch the news or help his mom prepare lunch before they head to the toner cartridge factory where he works part-time to help pay for college. He’s enrolled at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Jimy, 21, usually skips the kitchen as he hustles to get ready for his full-time job paving asphalt for a construction company. He wanted to go to college, but couldn’t navigate the path there.

The brothers’ divergent paths highlight the challenges Hispanic men face in getting into college — and in getting through.

Denver: How schools prioritize social-emotional learning

Denver Public Schools is requiring each school in the district to offer 20 minutes of daily social-emotional learning to help their students’ mental health.

The preschoolers in Natalie Soto-Mehle’s class have been talking about feelings.

“I’ve got some little cards with pictures, and we’re going to do a game with these,” Soto-Mehle, a teacher at Trevista at Horace Mann elementary school, explained to the 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds sitting on the rug. “But, before we do, we’re going to sing a new song.”

To the tune of “London Bridge is Falling Down,” she sang:

I have feelings, yes I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do.

My body tells me how I feel,

Feelings in my body.

Lessons like this are what schools call social-emotional learning, which teaches students to be emotionally resilient, form supportive relationships, and develop healthy identities. As Denver Public Schools transition back to in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, the district is requiring each school to offer 20 minutes of daily social-emotional learning to help students face mental health challenges brought on by two years of pandemic living.

NYC: Parents accused of educational neglect for keeping their children home

Viviana Echavarria speaks with her kids about their upcoming return to in-person classes at her home in the Bronx. Viviana and her husband were among the parents of New York City school students that didn’t feel it was safe for their children to return to in-person learning during the ongoing public health crisis.

After spending last year fully remote, Viviana Echavarria’s two teenagers were excited to return to Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy and even went back-to-school shopping.

But then the Bronx mom and her husband decided to keep their two high schoolers home until their 11-year-old could get vaccinated.

Still, Echavarria was stunned when her husband called late last month while she was at work, as a director of operations for a nursing home, to tell her that an ACS caseworker was at their door. He hasn’t returned to work yet in order to stay home with their three school-aged children and 6-month-old baby.

When New York City opened its schools this fall for in-person learning, with no option for virtual instruction, families across the five boroughs opted to keep their children home. Families like the Echevarrias worried about the health of their children and vulnerable loved ones, and remained unconvinced it was safe to return to school.

Philly: Reading lessons at the laundromat

Iris Hernandez, a reading captain with Read by 4th, helps children to read “DJ’s Busy Day” at The Laundry Cafe in North Philadelphia.

On a cold Saturday afternoon, Iris Hernandez and Carmen Colon were helping six Morales children through the letters, sounds, and words in the book “DJ’s Busy Day,” about a bunny and his fun-filled adventures in ordinary places: the grocery store, on the bus, in his home. Their lessons took place in a local laundromat.

Hernandez and Colon are reading captains working with Global Citizen, which has been leading a community mobilization in partnership with the Philadelphia Public Library’s Read by 4th initiative, a citywide drive to help all children read proficiently by the end of third grade. Some research shows that early reading proficiency is linked to high school graduation.

The city still has a long way to go toward its goal. Before the pandemic, standardized tests showed that only about a third of children in district schools read at grade level by fourth grade.

Philadelphia: One school’s new normal in its second COVID winter

Ruth Llorens looks on as one of her kindergarten students hangs her jacket in her cubby at Cayuga Elementary School in Philadelphia.

Nearly two years into the pandemic, COVID often blends into the background at Cayuga Elementary School in North Philadelphia.

Other times, COVID is painfully obvious. In January, a little boy told kindergarten teacher Ruth Llorens he missed his uncle, who’d died from the virus over winter break.

“I just kind of listened to him more than anything else,” she said. “Really, he just wanted to talk about his uncle and what they used to do.”

Such is the year so far. Routine classroom moments are punctuated by reminders of COVID’s fallout, ranging from sadness and fatigue to the recognition that some students missed out on lots of learning over the past two years. That includes academics, of course, but also classroom routines.

Chicago: One high school’s year of uncertainty

Keshaun Arnold (center right) jumps for the possession of the ball against King offense during a varsity basketball game against King College Preparatory High School at Richards Career Academy in Chicago.

For schools across the country, this school year was supposed to be the moment to recoup academic ground lost during the pandemic and tend to the outbreak’s traumas before high school careers and lives got derailed. It was supposed to be a time to start reinventing public education for teens like Richards High School senior Keshaun Arnold and the other students Richards serves: half of them Black, another half Latino, almost all from low-income families, a third learning English as a second language, and another third without a stable place to live.

It hasn’t turned out that way.

At Richards, a tough comeback has overwhelmed the students and staff. Attendance is down. Behavioral issues are up. COVID has waned and surged, exploding any semblance of certainty.

Such setbacks have played out across the country, in district after district, at school after school. Here and elsewhere, amid a race to re-engage students in learning, the desire to find new ways of approaching school has collided with the need to just make it through another trying week.

As COVID protocols end, young students and new teachers adjust

2022-03-21T16:08:48+00:00

The last lesson that Alexis Kashman taught before COVID closed her classroom was fractions, with her students making diagrams out of tape on the floor.

A recent college graduate, she had started her teaching career at Chapel Glen Elementary School in Wayne Township just three months earlier, and found herself going back to her textbooks to translate the fraction lesson for remote learning.

“We were taught the most important thing is to gather your kids at the carpet and read to them,” she said. “And then as soon as I started, the pandemic hit and everything I had learned up until that point, we had to throw it out the window.”

After two years of disrupted lessons, Kashman has come full circle as Indiana schools return to a pre-pandemic state, with no masking, distancing, quarantining, or — teachers hope — major upheavals midway through the year.

For veteran teachers and older students, this is a return to normalcy. But for some young students and new teachers like Kashman, this is among the first times they’ve experienced in-person learning without restrictions or interruptions. And schools like Chapel Glen are tasked with helping both groups adjust.

The solutions range from a mentorship program for new teachers, to incorporating new and old-school learning strategies, to practicing patience and experimenting with new ideas.

“We all have learned that we really can do hard things,” said Principal Shatara Smith. “When we think outside the box, and we come together and problem solve, it’s not as bad as you think.”

Schools like Chapel Glen Elementary have adopted new programs and strategies to help teachers and students adjust to in-person learning.

Learning classroom expectations

Like schools across the country, Chapel Glen closed and reopened several times over two years as it weathered COVID cases and shifting health guidelines.

During building closures, the Indianapolis district offered an online program where teachers taught alone from their classrooms while students followed along at home.

Alexandra Offutt, who started at Chapel Glen teaching virtual students, described her first few months as a little lonely.

When teachers and students were able to return to their classrooms, they found changes. Gone were the staples of elementary education, like circle time and morning high-fives, replaced by spaced-out desks and elbow bumps.

Offutt’s students had to remain in pods, spending their day doing activities with the same four or five peers in order to aid in contact tracing. Masking and distancing made critical early literacy lessons a challenge, especially for students who were learning English as a second language.

“For kindergarten, it’s hard because you’re learning how to form your mouth when you’re learning these letters,” Offutt said.

“We’d have to be like, alright, back up and pull your mask down and tell me what you’re saying,” Kashman said.

Alexandra Offutt started out teaching students virtually at Chapel Glen, and found that masking and social distancing created challenges with early literacy lessons.

Simultaneously, students also had to learn stamina, focus, and interpersonal skills that had fallen by the wayside during at-home learning. And once the school went mask-optional, Offutt also had to teach students to respect their friends’ choices to wear a mask or not.

“How you speak at home is not necessarily how you can speak at school,” Offutt said. “And you can’t just bump and push and grab something, because you’re going to hurt another kid if you do that.”

Now, with restrictions lifted, Offutt’s kindergartners took advantage of their freedom to move around the room with their friends on Thursday, while dancing to a St. Patrick’s Day song.

Then Offutt gathered them on the rug to sound out words. On “cove,” some students made the leap to a more familiar word.

“No, not COVID,” Offutt said.

“Ewww,” the students said.

Teachers learn from each other

Chapel Glen’s newest teachers are also learning the ropes.

The school’s mentorship program, dubbed the New Teacher Academy, matched new teachers to veteran ones in an effort to ease them into the school and the expectations of teaching in-person, said Smith, the principal.

“Many of our new teachers not only started remotely, but had their student teaching practicum remotely,” Smith said. “Looking at classroom management, procedures, a lot of the necessary foundational things that are needed for starting, we thought, ‘How can we help address some of these areas of concern?’”

But mentees noted the pandemic has also led to a two-way street with mentors, whom they may not have met otherwise.

“I’m helping a veteran teacher create an assignment online, but the veteran teacher is helping me figure out what’s going to work for one of my specific learners,” Kashman said.

Chapel Glen has a mentorship program called the New Teacher Academy, which pairs early career teachers like Kashman with veteran educators.

The way forward likely combines the experiences of both new and veteran teachers, as they all work to address the skills that lapsed during the pandemic.

Teachers of all types are grappling with helping fourth graders who may read at a first-grade level, said Megan Graybosch, a reading interventionist and mentor.

“There’s probably some hesitancy to want to pick up a book that they know they can be successful with,” Graybosch said. “Those books may not look like what their peers are reading.”

Graybosch said she helps new teachers consider how to incorporate “old-school” activities into 21st-century classrooms.

Time-tested strategies like small group reading and rotating centers can supplement the online curriculum and personalized lesson plans that have come to define pandemic learning, she said.

There are other pandemic-inspired changes that the school would like to keep as it steadily returns to normal.

Virtual parent-teacher conferences and drive-thru awards ceremonies are here to stay by popular demand, Smith said.

All Chapel Glen students now have a tablet or laptop, and spend some time each week refreshing the skills they had to learn during virtual schooling.

“I joked that they have trouble holding a pencil, but man, they can cut and paste, they can upload documents,” Smith said. “The skills that we may have introduced them to probably a little later, they were introduced to and did really well.”

Preparing for the future of the pandemic

Chapel Glen students watch a movie during indoor recess. Their principal, Shatara Smith, feels like her staff is more prepared to deal with unforeseen challenges after two years of a pandemic.

As Kashman prepared to send her first graders to recess on Thursday, an unexpected announcement came over the school’s public address system: Recess would be held indoors due to lingering smoke from a nearby fire.

Kashman pivoted, offering Play-Doh, coloring pages, and time to watch “The Secret Life of Pets,” conscious that her students would be spending their whole day indoors.

“They’ll get antsy by the end of the day,” she said.

Her students said they didn’t mind staying inside.

“Because you get sweaty outside, and I don’t want to get sweaty,” one student, Aaliyah, said.

It’s difficult to predict how COVID will affect schools in the future, but it will likely involve a series of adjustments.

Principal Smith said Chapel Glen has plans in place for future school closures, whether due to COVID, snowstorms, or other unforeseen circumstances. After two years, her staff feels more prepared to weather uncertainty, she said.

With case counts low, and pandemic protocols over, teachers feel cautiously optimistic about the next school year, said Graybosch, the reading interventionist.

“I’m no virologist,” she said, to laughs from her peers. “But I think next year is looking pretty good.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

As cases remain low and schools relax their COVID protocols, many teachers feel cautiously optimistic about the next school year.

As schools try to recover, COVID’s toll lingers: ‘We haven’t seen fine, ever’

2022-03-19T10:00:00+00:00

This story is being co-published with The New York Times Sunday Review.

As class ended on a recent Tuesday, Ana Barros, a middle school teacher, signaled for a seventh grader wearing Crocs to hang back. Minutes earlier, he’d stormed into the hallway, slamming the door in her face.

“Walk me through that moment you just had,” she said.

Ana Barros, a seventh-grade social studies teacher, says more students are asking to see the counselor at her Tulsa school this year.

Barros, who teaches social studies at an Oklahoma charter school, listened with patience. The student had struggled to manage his emotions before the pandemic. A year spent at home when classes were fully remote without the neutral ground that school provided had intensified his anger.

“When you’re mad, when you’re feeling that rage,” she said, “you can’t slam the door.”

“Sorry,” the student replied softly, trying to keep his feelings in check.

“It’s OK,” Barros said. “But we’ve gotta find a way to channel those moments when you’ve got rage. We’re on the same team. I’m not against you. I want to help you.”

In some ways, this is typical middle school teaching. But the pandemic has upped the volume and intensity of students’ needs and raised the stakes for schools trying to meet them.

The cascade of new challenges started with the onset of the coronavirus in 2020, which closed school buildings and plunged teachers and families into the unknowns of remote learning. The year that followed was a patchwork of remote and in-person instruction, with school districts around the country varying wildly in their policies.

Many hoped this would be the comeback school year, when schools would focus on recovery. The last schools that had been operating remotely fully reopened. COVID relief dollars poured into districts. The availability of vaccines for teens, and then children over 5, created hope.

But just as the pandemic’s emotional and academic toll on students grew clearer last fall, staff shortages hobbled schools. When the virus seemed like it was under control, the omicron wave of cases brought half-empty classrooms or temporary returns to virtual learning. It’s been a year of survival and triage for teachers, school leaders, students, and their families.

Now a shift is underway. Mask mandates have largely lifted, and more Americans say they are ready to leave the pandemic in the rearview mirror. But teachers like Barros are still grappling daily with issues that COVID has left in its wake, most of which defy easy solutions.

“I really feel scared to say that we’ve turned a corner,” she said. “The things that we were struggling with, even outside of COVID, are just still there.”

Barros found herself scrolling through job listings earlier this winter, but like most teachers, she’s sticking it out. “I’m choosing to stay because I love this,” she said.

In Barros’ classroom at the Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences, many students require intensive support. One boy didn’t attend a single virtual class as a sixth grader or return when the school building reopened last spring. It’s her job to keep him tethered to school.

When another student started clutching a stuffed toy shaped like an avocado, Barros didn’t press her for a reason. And when one of Barros’ top students started having panic attacks in class, she helped come up with a plan to calm her heavy breathing. Her school has noticed an uptick in thoughts of self-harm, negative self-talk, and meltdowns. More students are asking to see the counselor.

Two years into the upheaval, teachers are depleted. On top of the needs in their classrooms, teachers and their unions have faced scrutiny over school shutdowns, vaccine and mask mandates, and COVID safety protocols, leading to labor strife in Chicago and elsewhere.

Some teachers have begun having doubts about their ability to keep going. As three colleagues departed midyear for higher-paying jobs outside the classroom, Barros, who has taught for four years in Tulsa, found herself scrolling job listings earlier this winter. Like most, she’s sticking it out. “For a while, I was in that victim mentality of ‘woe is me,’ but I do have choices,” she said. “And I’m choosing to stay because I love this.”

But America’s schools remain fragile. As teachers catch their breath after the latest wave of COVID cases, many are teetering between cautious optimism and lingering exhaustion.

Across the country, teachers like Neelah Ali are trying to help students who are struggling emotionally and keep them on track academically after two years of stop-and-start learning.

Ali teaches freshman biology at Denver’s South High School, where she is also a teacher coach, an assistant track coach, and a sponsor of the dance team, Jewish Club, and Black Student Alliance. She’s the kind of teacher who knows nearly everyone and will hop up on a table to help students understand a lesson.

Ali much prefers in-person teaching to what she called “the abyss” of virtual learning. Students had the option to return to classrooms part-time last spring and have been learning in-person all of this school year, though COVID cases meant attendance was spotty until recently. There are signs of genuine joy in school: students giggling together in class, cranking pump-up music in the weight room, and eating pizza off trays in the hallways.

But Ali says her students have less academic stamina than she is used to. Before the pandemic, all of her freshmen would most likely have finished their lab, which involved flipping pennies to determine the odds that two parents’ offspring would have dark hair or freckles, in a 50-minute class period. This year, only one pair of students did. More students are asking for breaks during class, too.

“I’m having more conversations with kids about not liking school,” Ali said.

Neelah Ali, a biology teacher at South High School in Denver, has noticed that her students have less academic stamina than they typically did pre-pandemic.

Students also seem more attached to the digital world. Despite posted signs prohibiting cellphone use, nearly all of Ali’s students on a recent day had their phones out at some point. A few used them in ways that were arguably academic, walking up to the white board and snapping a photo of the lesson on chromosomes and meiosis to copy it onto paper. For others, the phones were a distraction.

Ali knows that taking a student’s phone is likely to upset them deeply. That wasn’t as true before the pandemic, she said.

“Now it’s like, if I take the phone, it threatens their identity,” she said. “If I take it, that’s going to damage our relationship so much that I don’t even broach the topic.”

Despite the difficulties, Ali said she was getting through the curriculum, partly because the pandemic meant fewer guest speakers and field trips. But student absences because of COVID or COVID exposure have been another complication. In each of her classes, several students were on their laptops doing makeup work instead of the penny lab.

The absences, a national challenge this year especially during the omicron wave, pose a daily dilemma. When should teachers reteach a lesson that some students missed and when should they move on? The answers matter, as ninth-grade success is seen as a key predictor of whether a student will graduate from high school in four years. Last year, graduation rates dipped nationwide and more ninth graders fell behind on credits in some states.

“A lot of teachers are struggling with: Do we make it up or do we not make it up?” Ali said.

The little boy arrived in Kendra Barclay’s kindergarten classroom on a chilly Detroit morning wearing a white mask so big it was hanging off his face.

“You need a kid’s mask!” she told him, scurrying off to find one.

Mask adjustment is still part of the job for Barclay, who spent much of that morning transitioning from lessons on letter sounds to gentle, and at times stern, reminders about classroom COVID safety.

“Ch says chuh, chuh, chuh,” Barclay said as she surveyed the students sitting on the rug in front of her. “Kamryn, you’ve got to cover your nose.”

Though schools in most of the country have lifted their mask mandates, Detroit district leaders are still weighing a potential change. For now, Barclay continues navigating the physical logistics as well as the emotional toll of teaching in a community that lost thousands to COVID.

“How do you keep 5-year-olds socially distanced?” she said. “They love being near each other. A lot of them need that contact. They need to feel nurtured.”

At Detroit’s Spain Elementary-Middle School, kindergarten teacher Kendra Barclay navigates the physical logistics of social distancing with young children that long for close contact with their classmates.

Barclay finds a way to do both, and her classroom at Spain Elementary-Middle School in the city’s Midtown neighborhood includes plenty of dancing and singing. When she needed her students to see how their tongues should sit between their teeth as they make the “th” sound, she moved to the far side of the room and pulled her two masks down for a few seconds.

Back in September, the stress of wanting to serve the students who needed her while avoiding getting sick herself got the best of Barclay, a South Carolina native who has taught in Detroit since 1999. On the school’s first in-person day, the principal, Frederick Cannon, popped his head in her classroom door before the kids arrived and asked how she was doing. Barclay burst into tears. “It was just the fear,” she says.

Barclay is optimistic about the progress of her kindergartners, though she worries if enough of them will be prepared for first grade.

Months later, as she was beginning to feel more comfortable, a new wave of cases disrupted everyone’s lives again. Schools in the district went remote for weeks as the omicron variant spread and again for winter storms, briefly severing the connection between Barclay and some of her students. A couple of children signed in daily, but never turned their cameras on or responded when she called on them.

Barclay remains optimistic about her students’ progress and was grateful recently to be among a group of teachers who received recognition from the district for their work during the pandemic. She knows her students aren’t all where they should be academically, though. She has found herself reteaching lessons from the fall, like how to write words on the correct lines of their handwriting practice paper.

“I’m still committed to coming in every day, trying to push and pull the greatness in and out of them,” she said. “I just still worry. How many of them are going to be prepared for first grade?”

“I have to realize this is just what it is in the world right now, and I am doing all I can.”

After a winter of emotions that rose and fell with COVID case rates, the nation’s teachers and families are looking to what comes next. Whether their fatigue will stretch on through the spring and even fall. Whether their schools can turn a fragile grip on stability into a firm grasp.

This pandemic may become less acute, but its effects on schools will linger: the children coping with the death of their caregivers, the fissures that remain over how to keep kids healthy and safe, the kindergartners struggling with their ABCs, the seventh graders tamping down anxiety, the high schoolers fretting over their diplomas.

Schools are now spending big on mental health programs, tutoring, and other academic recovery efforts — work that is likely to stretch past the three years they have to use their federal relief funds. “Our hardest and most important work lies ahead,” the U.S. education secretary, Miguel Cardona, said recently.

For Ali in Denver, that work looks like a full school day followed by a three-hour virtual training on a new science curriculum that’s more inclusive and culturally relevant. The changes are important to her, but “burnout feels like it’s a lot closer than it used to be,” she said.

It’s the same for a lot of teachers she talks to, she said. The rising stress “feels like it’s more at our chest than at our feet.”

For Barclay in Detroit, the work means connecting with her students — whether by listening intently to a retelling of the plot of a “Transformers” movie or offering hugs even when they go against social distancing guidelines.

“I figure, you wouldn’t ask for a hug or a high five if you really didn’t need it,” she said.

Barclay helps one of her kindergartners with letter writing. She’s had to reteach some handwriting lessons from the fall as she works to keep her students on track.

And for Barros in Tulsa, the work looks like this: grading assignments on Sundays, spending her planning periods in meetings with families whose children are struggling, and mentoring a new teacher partly to supplement her comparatively low Oklahoma teacher’s salary.

She hopes she’s pushed past the worst of her exhaustion — when she was out sick for seven school days with COVID in January, wracked with guilt, waking up each morning to record a video lesson so her students wouldn’t fall behind.

Now the end of the school year feels within reach. Come fall, she won’t be as in the dark about where her students are, academically and emotionally, as she was this year.

Other challenges aren’t going away. Barros goes without adequate staffing support even in a normal year, helping translate for the school’s Spanish-speaking families as one of the few bilingual staff members. Her school also serves a disproportionately high share of students with disabilities. Without other teachers or aides in the room to help, it’s Barros who slips a pillow under the foot of a student with autism to soften the sound of his tapping foot, and Barros who pulls aside a student with dyslexia to read tricky passages aloud.

After months back together in the school building, she’s seen her students make real progress — reading full chapter books, building friendships with classmates. But they’re still dealing with the ramifications of the COVID years. It will take a wider network of support to truly give her students what they need, Barros says. To her, that includes greater investment in Tulsa’s under-resourced neighborhoods, stronger bonds between schools and families, and more counselors and therapists.

“We haven’t seen fine, ever,” she said. Pre-pandemic, many of the students with disabilities and students of color at her school were “already so underserved.”

“I feel like I’m a piece of the puzzle, and I see myself as a piece of the puzzle,” Barros said. “And sometimes it’s like, damn, some of those pieces are taking a long time to get here.”

Kalyn Belsha is a national reporter based in Chicago. Contact her at kbelsha@chalkbeat.org. Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. Contact her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org. Melanie Asmar is a senior reporter for Chalkbeat Colorado covering Denver Public Schools. Contact her at masmar@chalkbeat.org.

Here’s how NYC schools are spending $7 billion in COVID federal relief

2022-03-08T23:10:11+00:00

With a stalled economy and projections of plummeting tax revenue, elected officials feared last winter that school budgets across New York would have to be slashed. Then, the federal government approved billions of dollars in relief to local governments and school districts, including more than $7 billion for New York City schools.

Families and educators dreamed big. Many called for smaller class sizes. They wanted more social workers and reading specialists. They wished for new after-school programs and devices for children, according to readers responding to a Chalkbeat survey last spring.

Some of the funding will cover many of the items on the readers’ wishlists, as well as providing funds to cover the costs of keeping school buildings operating and academic recovery, according to an analysis by the Independent Budget Office, or IBO. But the largest chunk — about $1.9 billion — will be for an expansion of the city’s prekindergarten program for 3-year-olds over the next several years.

A little less than half of the total pot is being spent this school year, with the rest earmarked for initiatives through the 2024-25 school year. Mayor Eric Adams, who took office in January, inherited spending plans outlined by his predecessor, Bill de Blasio. He signaled last month that he supported the pre-K spending but could change other plans before the stimulus funds run out.

“We’re going to examine the dollars we have remaining to spend and make sure that we spend it correctly,” Adams told reporters. “Would I have done some things differently? Yes. But we have to look at what’s in front of us right now.”

Advocates and parent leaders say there is still confusion on how the nation’s largest school system is using this windfall of COVID relief, as well as what it means at the school level. The publicly available data doesn’t show how individual schools spent their portions of COVID relief — and much of the money is being spent centrally.

“Parents are actually really interested, especially when they hear the dollar amount,” said Jasmine Gripper, executive director of Alliance for Quality Education, a school funding advocacy group. “They’re asking, ‘How do I see what my school got or what my school is doing with it?’”

Chalkbeat looked at the top line funding breakdown to spell out how the money will be spent this year and down the road.

Where the money is going this year

New York City’s education department has earmarked 43% of its stimulus money for covering expenses during this fiscal year, which ends June 30. To date, the city has spent about half of that $3.1 billion, per an IBO spending tracker.

The single largest piece of the pie for this year — about $820 million — is propping up “existing costs that might otherwise have required budget cuts if we had not received federal aid,” according to an education department spending plan. Asked for more details, a department spokesperson said this money includes “supporting custodial workers who helped keep school communities safe during these challenging times.” (Similarly, the first COVID relief package the city ever received — separate from the $7 billion in stimulus dollars currently in play — was used to cover paychecks for custodians.)

The city has also created various programs to catch students up this year, including its summer enrichment program before the start of this school year, assessments to screen for literacy, extra services for students with disabilities, and other academic recovery initiatives. Taken together, these programs add up to more than $750 million.

Part of this is $350 million that the city sent directly to schools to create their own after-school or weekend tutoring programs, provide extra support for English language learners, offer more professional development and boost arts programming. While they can spend the money to pay teachers overtime to run any programs they create, they can’t hire new full-time staff since the funding is temporary. But as some schools have found it difficult to persuade burned-out staff to work overtime, they may have to return unused dollars to the education department.

Roughly $200 million is being spent on a massive project to create a new universal math and English curriculum called “Mosaic,” meant to focus on the diversity of the school system’s students. That curriculum is expected to be in schools by the fall of 2023.

City leaders have planned to spend about $80 million on mental health this fiscal year. The money is covering hiring more social workers so every school has at least one full-time social worker or access to a school-based mental health clinic, according to officials. This funding also includes the cost for a new social-emotional screening tool, used to see where students may need more support in bolstering social skills after prolonged isolation due to the pandemic.

Category	Description	Funding
"Maintain current services"	Pays for "existing costs" that might have been cut without federal aid	$823M
Universal 3-K	Expanding preschool for 3-year-olds	$378M
Academic recovery	Money for schools to create extra tutoring programs, provide professional development, cover certain salaries and create more arts programming	$350M
Special education	After-school and weekend programs for students with disabilities, additional pre-K special education seats, extra support to eligible students ages 21+	$251M
Universal Mosaic Curriculum	Creating a new English and math curriculum that reflects "the variety of histories, languages and experiences that make up the city."	$202M
Miscellaneous	Variety of "smaller projects such as school safety training and professional development." (DOE did not provide further details)	$175M
Restoring enrichment programs	Restoring previously slashed programs for arts, Learning to Work, "Equity & Excellence" programming, such as AP For All	$172M
Backfill cuts for school funding	Held schools harmless for last year's enrollment drops	$150M
Reopening school buildings	Health and safety costs associated with reoopening buildings during the pandemic, including covering extra staff	$135M
Technology and devices	Buying more devices, expanding Computer Science For All, training 5,000 educators in advanced computer science	$122M
Summer Rising	Creating universal summer school in the summer of 2021	$100M
Fair Student Funding	Ensuring every school received 100% of funding through the city's formula	$95M
Social-emotional and mental health support	Hiring more social workers and buying a social-emotional screener for schools to assess their students	$80M
Building infrastructure	Updating buildings and making them more accessible	$70M
Early Literacy for All	A screening tool and training to evaluate K-2 students, hiring additional teachers and literacy coaches for interventions.	$49M
Restarting and expanding school sports	Creating more high school sports programming	$21M
Expansion of restorative justice programs	The DOE did not provide further details	$12M
College and career readiness	College counseling for all juniors and seniors, expanding college-credit courses, and mentorship opportunities for immigrant students	$10M
Expand community schools	Increase the number of community schools to 400	$10M

COVID stimulus spending for the 2021-2022 school year

Concerns for the future

The relief money runs out by the end of the 2024-2025 school year, and 56% of the city’s pot is being spent on programs that are expected to expire.

But the temporary cash infusion is also funding some long-term projects — like mental health support and the expansion of 3-K —that the city envisions continuing after federal funding runs out.

Those programs will require the city to pony up $802 million annually, starting in the summer of 2025, according to the IBO.

City officials have repeatedly said they expect city revenue to improve greatly with time as the economy bounces back from the pandemic.

The IBO is more cautious. “This optimism,” the IBO warned in a report, “is not reflected in the revenue outlook in the financial plan for the adopted budget, however, raising questions about the sustainability of these expanded DOE programs.”

The state required districts to explain how they’ll pay for long-term programs once federal relief funding runs out. The education department’s public-facing presentation has no explanation about this, and officials declined to provide further information.

“They do have the time to fix it if they’re willing to find the efficiencies elsewhere and prioritize,” said Ana Champeny, deputy research director for Citizens Budget Commission, a budget watchdog group.

Concerns about transparency

The rollout of the funding has raised questions about the transparency of the spending, as well as how education officials will measure success or progress of programs meant to help students catch up academically.

When creating their spending plan, education department officials solicited feedback from families last school year, receiving about 2,000 emailed responses, a spokesperson said. Officials held town halls in each borough, where they said they polled “thousands” of attendees to help the education department rank its proposed investments. But those meetings were overshadowed by discussions about building reopening plans and other COVID safety measures, parent leaders say.

Harlem resident Gisele Hearn, who is active with the PTA at Thurgood Marshall Lower Academy, where her grandson is a fifth grader, said she wasn’t aware of those town halls. Had she been, she would have advocated to fund tutoring parents and caregivers in math since their children turn to them for help. She also would have liked funding to address overcrowding at her grandson’s school.

When state lawmakers passed a budget last April, they required school districts to solicit feedback from the public and explain on their websites how they’re spending federal COVID relief dollars. The city’s education department has posted various details of their plan, but it’s not easily accessible on its website and requires some digging to find.

Gripper, from Alliance for Quality Education, wants data on how students are progressing through the year.

For example, her organization has been seeking an explanation from the education department on how they measured success in the city’s Summer Rising program, which for the first time opened summer school to all students who wanted a seat. The scaled-up program had a messy rollout but served as an important bridge to the fall for children who had not attended school in person since March 2020.

“We would like the city to be more intentional and more transparent about how students are doing,” Gripper said.

Andrew Rein, executive director of the Citizens Budget Commission, agreed. There’s a difference between outlining academic recovery costs, for example, and describing what the end goal is.

“Not only do we have to track the dollars, but we also have to make sure the dollars deliver what the students need,” Rein said. “How do we know that’s actually happening?”

The education department has required most students to take a battery of assessments in order to measure where they stand academically after two disrupted school years. They have not released test results, though some experts cautioned that information might not be useful because there might not be enough data to compare results, or because the variety of assessment options available to schools might complicate the data.

Education department officials did not share any specific benchmarks for the projects funded with stimulus money.

“At this time, our main focus and priority is on championing our school leaders and teachers to utilize the data found through screeners to understand students’ strengths and where supports are needed,” a spokesperson said.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

Michigan enrollment ticks up, but pandemic losses continue for city districts

2022-02-24T21:03:38+00:00

Enrollment in Michigan schools grew slightly this year, but city districts continue to lose students.

The addition of nearly 6,000 students, or 0.4%, may be a hopeful sign that parents are becoming more comfortable sending their children to classrooms nearly two years after Michigan schools were first shuttered due to COVID, officials said.

“We’re starting to see that public education is getting back to normal,” said Casandra Ulbrich, president of the state board of education. “Having a consistent in-person education opportunity for kids is going to help us continue to see these numbers increase.”

But statewide enrollment is still down 3.7% since before the pandemic — and 5% in city districts — raising questions about where those students went and concerns that declining student counts could hurt district finances.

“Let’s say you’ve lost 10 students, a small number — that’s $87,000 right there,” said Bob McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance, an advocacy group, noting that Michigan schools received an average of $8,700 per pupil last year. “The loss of a small number of students can have a direct impact on a district’s bottom line and the services they’re able to deliver.”

Enrollment fell by 256 students, or 0.5%, in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. That’s an improvement over last year, when enrollment fell by 3.7%.

Detroit is far from the only big-city school district grappling with enrollment declines. There are fewer students on the rolls this year in New York, Memphis, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

The same holds true in Michigan, where urban school districts have seen enrollment declines in line with DPSCD’s over the last two years. District officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Overall, the latest data suggest that Michigan’s statewide enrollment is beginning to stabilize. This fall, the state enrolled 1,443,456 students in grades K-12, an increase from 1,437,612 the previous fall.

In a sign that some parents remain concerned about in-person instruction, enrollment in fully online charter schools in Michigan has risen 63%, or 6,200 students, since fall 2019. Driven by the increase in virtual enrollments, charter school enrollment statewide increased by 988 students, or .6%.

Statewide, the enrollment increase was driven by students of color and students from low-income families:

Black enrollment rose 1.89% from fall 2020, while hispanic enrollment rose 3.16%. White enrollment fell 0.7% since fall 2020. Enrollment in all three categories has declined since fall 2019.
Among students from low-income families, enrollment rose 2% over the last year, though it has declined by 2% since fall 2019.

Kindergarten enrollment rose sharply this year, increasing 7% or 8,200 students from the prior year. That’s a reversal from last year, when enrollment declines were concentrated in kindergarten. At the same time, a marked decline in the cohort that started kindergarten during the 2020-21 school year suggests that some parents opted to have their children repeat kindergarten.

It is unclear why statewide enrollment has declined since the outset of the pandemic. While data points nationally suggest that homeschooling has increased during the pandemic, Michigan doesn’t collect homeschool enrollment data, and the state doesn’t publish private school enrollment data. Students may have left the state, though many other states are also seeing enrollment declines. And setting aside the pandemic, Michigan’s declining population is likely also playing a role.

“I don’t know” why enrollment is declining, McCann said, but he added that more families may be comfortable sending their kids to school as the pandemic wears on.

“We certainly heard at the beginning of the school year from parents who weren’t convinced it was safe to send their kids back,” he said. “We may be in a little bit of a different position in 2022.”

Michigan counts students in October and February. The February counts for this year aren’t yet available.

Detroit district reopens after a month of remote instruction

2022-02-01T00:34:31+00:00

Yellow school buses returned to their Detroit routes Monday morning as the Detroit Public Schools Community District resumed in-person learning for the first time since going remote on Dec. 16. Parents walked arm in arm with their children on the way to school or parked outside the building to drop them off.

At day’s end at Marcus Garvey Academy on the East Side, parents greeted students as they exited the building. Less than a few miles away, high schoolers left Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School in crowds, catching up with friends as they walked to their parents’ cars or waited at the bus stop.

It was a cheerful end to a stressful and exhausting month for students, parents, and teachers. Students learned remotely in January as the COVID omicron variant led to a post-holiday surge in infections across Detroit. DPSCD returned to in-person learning Monday as the city’s infection rate over a seven-day average went down to 20.4% last week, down from hovering around a 30 to 40% positivity rate in late December and early January.

The return came after a week in which lawmakers, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, urged schools that were still remote to return to in-person learning. District officials have said low vaccination rates, coupled with the high infection rates, would have made a return sooner unmanageable.

The district’s COVID protocols stayed the same as in December: daily symptom and temperature checks, universal masking, social distancing, and hand sanitizer stations.

“I’m kind of skeptical with COVID still going on, but it’s better for them in person,” said Queonna Roberson, a district parent of four children.

As of Monday, students are required to receive weekly COVID testing with parental consent. The district engaged in a month-long push to encourage parents to sign their child’s consent form for weekly saliva testing by calling households and reminding students to inform their parents and caregivers during remote learning. The consent rate went from 65% on Dec. 31 to 92% as of Jan. 28.

School officials will call the families of students this week who do not have signed consent forms to receive verbal consent from parents or caregivers. Students who do not have parental consent to receive a saliva test will be transferred to the district’s virtual school before the end of February.

Students, families welcome return to classroom

As Jimmy Jones, a grandparent and caregiver of an 11th grader at Martin Luther King Jr. High School, dropped his grandson off in the morning, he said his grandson had mixed feelings about returning to the classrooms.

“He didn’t know whether to be excited or nervous, but he wanted to come back to school,” Jones said.

For many parents and caregivers, the return to in-person learning was a relief compared to the challenges of remote learning.

“That was a journey,” said Tamra Rigby, a parent at Garvey Academy who waited for her 7-year-old son after school. She said he struggled to sit still through virtual classes and could benefit from receiving in-person support from his teachers.

Snowstorm could disrupt in-person learning this week

As local weather reports project a big snowfall across metro Detroit this week, the Detroit school district has run out of snow days.

The district has used all six of its forgiven days for health and safety reasons, Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti recently said. Even if Detroit receives a projected foot or more of snow, Vitti said last week that the district will make few exceptions to wintry weather moving forward.

“Let’s say next week we have a snowstorm. We will not have the day off,” Vitti said during a parent listening session on Jan. 26.

“The worst-case scenario is that we’ll have an online learning day. So we will protect employees from having to drive to work, drive home from work, and parents don’t have to put their children on buses. But we’ll have an online learning day and hope we get as many people logging in as possible.”

For caregivers, it’s just another facet of a challenging school year.

“They just got back to school and now there’s this big snowstorm that’s coming,” Jones said.

Six things to know as Detroit schools’ COVID testing deadline looms

2022-01-27T22:28:35+00:00

On Monday, thousands of Detroit students will do something they haven’t been able to do since the middle of December — head to their school buildings to learn in person.

Monday also marks the deadline for parents in the Detroit Public Schools Community District to consent to COVID testing for their children.

During a parent listening session Wednesday night, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said 91% of parents have turned in the forms. That’s way up from December, when the percentage hovered in the 60s. Data from early January showed some schools have a long way to go to get their numbers up.

District officials want 100% of students signed up for the weekly testing. The district will transfer students who don’t have consent forms on file to the virtual school.

Here are six things that are important to know as that deadline looms:

Detroit is one of the few districts in Michigan requiring student testing

The district’s student testing policy appears to be the most aggressive effort in Michigan schools to stem the spread of COVID. In addition to the student mandate, employees must be vaccinated against the virus by Feb. 18. That’s a step up from the policy that’s been in place thus far in the district, which has required staff to test weekly, unless they were fully vaccinated.

Across the nation, some schools are testing students regularly, but not requiring it. In Chicago, the district and teachers union — as part of an agreement that allowed classes to resume after the winter break — agreed to push for 100% student testing in each school. In Los Angeles, the school district requires weekly student and employee testing.

In Detroit, the student testing mandate is influenced largely by the high infection rates and low vaccination rates in the city.

“This is the second to last COVID safety strategy that we can implement in order to keep students in schools consistently, Monday through Friday,” Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said in a recent interview. The last strategy, he said, would be a student vaccine requirement, which he is considering for the next school year.

It’s legal to require COVID testing, district leader has said

Vitti said recently that the district researched the legality of requiring COVID testing before announcing the policy change Dec. 31.

“Our legal review on this one is that we can require the test as long as we do not prevent a student from accessing an education through the district. That is still happening through the virtual school.”

A mandatory transfer to the virtual school won’t be automatic

At Wednesday’s listening session, Vitti reiterated something he’s said before — that students who don’t have a consent form on file won’t be automatically sent to the virtual school. That transfer is likely to happen by the end of February. Before then, district employees will do everything they can to get consent.

“Until we have tried with phone calls, even a home visit, we’re not going to just move a child out of in-person learning into the virtual school, simply because we don’t have a consent on file yet,” Vitti said. “But by the end of February, middle of February, if we can’t reach you and your child is not coming to school, then we’re going to move you to the virtual school.”

If parents give their consent verbally, over the phone, “then we’ll initial the consent form and we’re fine and we move forward,” Vitti said.

The virtual school opened in September and enrolls about 2,000 students. It has been an option for parents reluctant to send their children to school for face-to-face learning.

A spit is all it takes to test

The Detroit school board last May approved a contract with LynxDX to provide weekly saliva PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing. The total cost is about $71 million, a huge investment, thanks to federal COVID relief funding.

The use of saliva tests means students only need to spend a few seconds weekly to get tested and don’t have to stick a nasal swab up their nose.

Protecting student saliva collections is important

During a recent school board meeting and in an earlier interview with Chalkbeat, Vitti stressed that the saliva students provide for the COVID testing should not be used for anything else.

“We have an agreement with LynxDX that it can’t be used for any other tests, or, you know, DNA. Nothing like that. That’s specifically in the contract,” Vitti said.

Exemptions are available, but likely will be limited

Parents can ask for an exemption for medical or religious reasons. There are some circumstances in which a student might need a medical exemption from testing. One of them, Vitti said, is in the case of a student who can’t produce enough saliva. There are also some students who cognitively “can’t understand the concept and the process of saliva testing,” Vitti said.

“So they are exempt as well,” Vitti said.

Overall, though, he said it will be difficult for students to qualify for medical or religious exemptions.

He said Wednesday that a small number of parents — about 40 to 50 — have indicated they object to the saliva test.

“We’re hoping to reduce the number … to a couple dozen, if possible. We just want to make sure that everyone understands clearly that we have to keep everyone safe. And the best way to be safe right now is testing.”

Why low COVID vax rates in Detroit led to more online learning

2022-01-25T23:59:08+00:00

Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti sees the school buses rolling down the streets of Detroit, transporting students he doesn’t serve to schools he doesn’t lead. It’s hard to watch, given the difficult decisions Vitti has had to make in the last month to delay the return to in-person instruction.

“Every time I have to make these decisions, I lose a piece of my professional soul because it’s not always the right decision for kids, because you can’t get it completely right, because there are still families that just want online learning and there are still kids that want to stay home and learn from home.”

Like some big city school districts in the U.S., the Detroit Public Schools Community District had to grapple with community infection rates of 30%-40% at the beginning of the year, when students were set to return from winter break. But while students in New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and beyond have returned to face-to-face instruction in the midst of an omicron-fueled surge, Detroit kids have remained at home, learning online since Jan. 6.

Detroit isn’t the only Michigan district where students have been stuck in remote learning all year. Flint Community Schools announced last week that it would extend remote learning “until further notice.”

Across the nation, most schools have returned to in-person learning following the winter break. But chaos has ensued. Some schools have had to shut down because so many teachers and students were out sick. In Chicago, there were public battles between administrators and union leaders that cancelled classes for days. The surge has forced some school districts to strengthen their COVID protocols, including in Los Angeles, which told students over the weekend they must now wear surgical or higher quality masks, rather than cloth masks.

Taylor Johnson-King, a senior at Cass Technical High School, supported the switch to virtual learning in January. She, too, was worried about high infection rates in the city and felt a delay would give the numbers a chance to drop.

But the extended remote instruction is starting to take its toll on her and others. Attendance has been down on a number of days, and there’s been extensive research that illustrates that remote learning isn’t the best for all students.

“I wanted to go virtual because of the cases, and I had already prepared myself. But I don’t know if I prepared myself enough for this,” Taylor said.

In Detroit, the biggest pressure has come from some vocal employees and families advocating to shut down buildings they believe aren’t safe. Ultimately, Vitti says the city’s high case numbers and low vaccination rates would have made running in-person schools impossible this month.

“Knowing all of the factors that needed to be weighed and considered, I know I made the best decision to postpone an in-person learning return after winter break and I hope I do not have to make that decision again,” Vitti said. “Someone loses every time I do. It was the best overall decision for DPSCD.”

In Detroit, while 80% of district employees are fully vaccinated, just 38% of city residents are fully vaccinated. Among those, 5% of 5-11-year-olds have been fully vaccinated. Twelve-to-15-year-olds are 22% vaccinated. Twenty-eight percent of 16-19-year-olds have been fully vaccinated.

The contrast between Detroit’s vaccination numbers and those in some other big cities is stark. Take New York City, for instance, where 74% of residents are fully vaccinated, including 33% of 5-12-year-olds and 75% of 13-17-year-olds. Schools there fully opened after winter break.

Many other communities have much higher vaccination rates, particularly for children. In Newark, 58% of 12-17-year-olds are fully vaccinated. In Kansas City, 33% of children 5-17 are fully vaccinated, and in St. Louis, the percentage for 5-17-year-olds is 35%.

Vitti said the vast differences in vaccination rates means it’s impossible to adequately compare Detroit with other school districts and their decisions to reopen. The low vaccination rates are a problem for a number of reasons. Those who are unvaccinated are more likely to be infected, and more likely to have more serious illnesses as a result of infection, Vitti said.

Vaccination rates will almost certainly remain low on Jan. 31, when students are set to return to the classroom. But the district will have a new key strategy in its efforts to reduce COVID spread: a COVID testing requirement for students. Students whose parents don’t consent to weekly, mandatory testing will automatically be transferred to the district’s virtual school.

In addition, a mandate for employee vaccinations goes into effect Feb. 18, and the district is considering a vaccination mandate for students. Vitti has been vocal on the latter issue, urging state officials to require student vaccines or “get out of the way” of districts that want to move in that direction.

The low vaccination rates and high infection rates in the city in early January meant the district “would not have been able to manage the amount of inevitable positive cases” that would have led to staff absences, student absences and operational disruptions, Vitti said. He compared it with the struggles airlines had before winter break, saying, “if you don’t have pilots, if you don’t have flight attendants, you can’t fly planes.”

“So, for a school, if you don’t have custodians, you can’t clean. If you don’t have your cafeteria staff, you can’t cook food. If you don’t have noon-hour aides, you can’t supervise students in the cafeteria. If you don’t have security guards, you don’t have people to monitor students as they move to and from class. Most importantly, if you don’t have teachers, you can’t have in-person instruction.”

‘Vast majority’ of big city schools are open

Bree Dusseault, who leads research at the Center for Reinventing Public Education on how COVID is affecting student learning, said schools across the nation are struggling with how to operate and keep classrooms staffed in the midst of the latest surge.

The Seattle-based organization’s ongoing analysis of 100 large and urban U.S. districts has found “the vast majority of schools are staying open.” Detroit, she said, is the only district in the analysis that has been remote since January.

For those that have remained open, the disruptions caused by COVID in January raise questions about how much students are learning and “whether the quality of that learning experience would be equal to in-person learning in December or November,” Dusseault said.

She said she understands the complex issues facing districts in cities like Detroit that were hit hard in the early days of the pandemic and are still experiencing the aftershocks.

“To some degree Detroit is actually responding to its very local context. I do think a lot of communities were hit hard. But the way that gets … processed in a family, in a community is different from place to place,” Dusseault said.

Even before the high infection rates in January led to a delay, the district had shifted to remote learning on Fridays in December because of staff and parent concerns about rising COVID cases and the cleanliness of buildings.

The extended remote learning is starting to wear on Ausar Inaede, a senior at Renaissance High School.

“When you’re on the computer, the energy is dead,” said Ausar, who struggled with online learning last school year. “You can’t just go up to your teachers and ask them questions and they’ll help you out.”

Chaos for schools across the U.S.

Infection rates in the city have declined since the first week of the year, to about 25% last week, Vitti said. That’s still far above the 8% rate the city saw in December. Vitti is hoping the rate gets to between 10% and 20% by Jan. 31, when students are scheduled to return to school buildings for the first time since Dec. 16.

“It’s allowing the number to go down a little bit more — and the trend is moving in that direction — and it’ll just lead to fewer positive cases, not an elimination of positive cases,” Vitti said.

A number of districts have reopened in these conditions. But the COVID surge has created chaotic conditions. In Michigan, some districts, including Beecher and Tecumseh, have suspended in-person classes for days or a week because there have been too many student and staff absences due to illness.

Similar storylines are playing out across the U.S. In Philadelphia, the school district has struggled to keep schools open. Earlier this month, more than half of its buildings were shifted to remote learning. Two weeks ago, 15 buildings were closed for face-to-face classes. Monday marked the first day this year that all schools were open for face-to-face learning.

The district’s leadership has asked families to be flexible and prepare for the possibility of a switch to remote learning at any time. But some teachers have complained that the sudden switches from in-person to remote learning make it difficult to plan lessons and teach.

Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland’s largest district, announced last week it would shift 16 of its schools to virtual learning, “In the interest of the overall school community’s health and safety”

In Oakland, Calif., three schools were closed last week when teachers called in sick en masse. Students also staged a boycott. In both cases, they were protesting COVID safety conditions.

Though New York City campuses have remained open since the return from break, many schools have had acute staffing shortages as well as abysmal student attendance. For the first two weeks following the break, more than 200,000 children each day were out.

Remote attendance a challenge

Despite remaining remote, attendance has been an issue in Detroit. The district has fallen below state attendance guidelines on multiple days during remote instruction. The state requires attendance of 75%. Districts that fall below risk losing some state funding.

LaWanda King, whose three children attend Detroit district schools, has noticed the attendance issue. She makes sure her children are in school every day, even making them wear their school uniforms. But she can see that’s not happening in every home.

“I’m looking at my son’s classroom because I have [Microsoft Teams] logged in on my phone…there’s only six or seven students in the classroom, and it’s really supposed to be 25 of them in there…so where are all these kids?” she wondered.

“All they have to do is log on and they’re not even doing that.”

She’s not concerned about her children returning to their school buildings later this month because she thinks the safety measures the district has in place — including weekly testing for students and staff — should be enough.

Jan. 31 is the deadline for parents to turn in consent forms allowing their students to be tested for COVID. Those who object or don’t turn in their forms will be automatically transferred to the district’s virtual school, unless they have a religious or medical exemption from the district.

The percentage of children whose parents have consented to the testing has risen from 74% two weeks ago to 90% last week. The goal is 100%. But even then, Vitti stresses that there will be positive cases.

“I think that we will have to become more comfortable with learning center situations in certain schools during certain times,” Vitti said. That means that if there are a large number of teachers absent because of COVID, “we may see students go into an auditorium or go into the media center,” where they can use some online learning programs.

“There’s a benefit to that, versus students not having access to school.”

Chalkbeat staffers Johann Calhoun, Catherine Carrera, and Amy Zimmer contributed to this report.

Are Philly schools heading back to normal? Teachers union says not so fast.

2022-01-25T00:55:15+00:00

For the first time in a month, all Philadelphia public schools opened their doors for in-person learning Monday. But education leaders still insist that the district needs to do more to ensure that learning spaces for students are safe amid the current omicron surge.

Just two weeks ago, as COVID cases jumped, the district shifted 92 schools, almost half of its 216 schools, to remote learning due to staff shortages. The number of teachers calling out sick has dropped dramatically, with only 15 schools affected last week.

The district said Monday that some schools were recommended for a 10-day pause under the guidance of the city’s health department because of multiple cases right before the winter break, but none were for COVID-related staffing challenges, which was the case for the first three weeks since returning from break.

The district “firmly believes that in-person learning is best for our students,” said Monica Lewis, spokesperson for the school district.

The district has been at odds with the teachers and principals unions in its handling of students returning to school after the winter break. When COVID-19 cases began to soar in December, educators called for a temporary return to in-person learning with tighter protocols.

Their outcry grew after the death last year of an unvaccinated student at Olney Charter High School. Education leaders demanded that schools go remote ahead of the holiday break, which began Dec. 24. Eight schools were closed temporarily and given 10-day and 48-day pauses because of positive cases.

Since then, the threshold for closing schools has gone from 10% of the school population to no recommendation to close schools due to a certain level of positive cases.

Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, remains skeptical about the district’s mitigation strategies and the new threshold for schools to temporarily close.

“While case counts have decreased over the past week, deaths have not, and we cannot be lulled into complacency,” Jordan said. “Mitigation strategies in schools must be strengthened.”

The health department disputes that claim. During the pandemic, 262,226 Philadelphians have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and 4,434 have died. The city’s daily average has also improved with 902 new cases per day over the last two weeks compared to more than 3,000 a few weeks ago.

The teachers union said it is concerned by new guidance issued by the health department that removes the threshold for school closures and by the guidance issued by CHOP that effectively removes COVID testing.

“There is significant work ahead in ensuring that our members and students feel confident that they have the necessary safety measures in place for in-person learning,” Jordan said.

Robin Cooper, the president of CASA, the principals union, told Chalkbeat they’ve always wanted face-to-face learning because “we believe it’s the best way to learn.”

“However we want it done in a safe and responsible way and not just because the health department and the school district just changes the criteria to ensure that everybody comes face-to-face without any safeguards in place for the safety of our students,” Cooper said. “Putting folks together and saying COVID is over. It just doesn’t work like that.”

Jim Garrow, director of communication for the city health department, contends that in-person education can be done safely and is best for Philadelphia students.

“Given the known negatives of an all-virtual education, it was imperative that we implement the safest guidance possible to avoid those negative outcomes,” Garrow said.

Vaccination numbers across the city have drastically improved over the past month. Over 34% of 5- to 11-year-olds in Philadelphia have received at least one COVID vaccine dose. Among eligible Philadelphians ages 12 and older, 73.4% are fully vaccinated, and 92.8% have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

“Our testing data has shown that the omicron wave has slowed considerably with new cases today approximately half of what they were last week,” Garrow said. “With fewer people becoming sick, it is anticipated that schools are benefiting from that drop.”

District parent Maritza Guridy, whose children attend Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary, which was one of the 15 schools that went temporarily to remote learning last week, said the sudden shift was hard.

Even though classes were remote, many teachers still called out sick, Guridy said. “I can’t even say that my son was online for more than two hours a day for a kindergartener.”

Another district parent Laurie Mazer, whose two students at Coppin Elementary in South Philadelphia, isn’t convinced the schools are safe.

“If they [the district] aren’t providing N95 masks for kids, then there is no assurance to any of us that the schools are actually safe,” Mazer said.

Newark COVID cases decline as students settle back into in-person learning

2022-01-25T00:22:29+00:00

Newark Public Schools saw a decline in coronavirus cases last week as the district reopened its doors for in-person instruction after two weeks of remote learning, according to the district’s dashboard.

Superintendent Roger León, speaking at a virtual school board retreat on Saturday, said the two-week remote learning period was “extremely successful” in helping to slow the spread of the virus in schools.

The district had pivoted to remote instruction on Jan. 3 as cases surged across the district, city, and state. Last week, Newark families felt a mix of emotions as students went back to in-person learning.

There were 88 staff cases reported the week of Jan. 17, according to the district’s COVID-19 dashboard, which was updated on Monday. Staff cases took a significant plunge from the 566 cases reported the week of Dec. 27.

Last week, there were 48 student cases, the dashboard shows. Ann Street Elementary School reported 13 student cases, the highest number across the district for one school. Other schools were reporting between one to six cases last week.

León said that fewer than 15 classroom teachers tested positive last week, a stark difference from the hundreds that were testing positive just a few weeks ago.

León added that all staff were required to get tested in the days after the holidays. The week of Jan. 3, 338 staff cases were reported, which dropped to 186 the following week.

“That strategy enabled us to identify, isolate, and begin to quarantine before anyone was back,” León said of the decision to switch to remote learning after the break.

On Friday, 10 district employees tested positive, of which three were classroom teachers, he said. That same day, eight students tested positive, he added. Those numbers were a dramatic decrease from the numbers the district saw mid-December.

It’s unclear how many students are participating in the district’s weekly COVID testing program. As of Dec. 21, there were around 12,000 students, or just over a third of the district student population, who opted in.

At the virtual retreat meeting on Saturday, district officials did not give an update on the testing program. Several emails to the district requesting an update on the number of students who have submitted consent forms have gone unanswered.

Gov. Phil Murphy, at a coronavirus briefing in Trenton on Monday, said the state was seeing a downward trend of cases. State officials said cases and hospitalizations likely peaked two weeks ago.

Colorado schools bend but don’t break under omicron surge

2022-01-20T22:53:04+00:00

At Evelyn Gonzalez’s Denver high school, the Italian teacher, who luckily speaks Spanish, filled in last week for the Spanish teacher, who was out sick for two days.

So many students were absent from Haven Coleman’s history class at another high school that the teacher held off on teaching the day’s lesson rather than have to repeat it later for the missing kids. Coleman’s class had a study hall instead.

In Carbondale, an entire grade level at Crystal River Elementary switched to remote learning, not because teachers were sick, but because several of them were also parents of preschool-aged children quarantined at home.

If this past fall felt “mostly normal,” Assistant Principal Kendall Reiley said, then after winter break, “it felt like we were coming back into a different world.”

January’s massive COVID surge has tested pandemic-weary teachers, students, and families in new ways, with half-empty classrooms, missing teachers, and abrupt temporary switches to remote learning, often for just a number of days.

District leaders have mostly kept buildings open amid case rates that would have shuttered them a year ago. They cite the availability of vaccines, plus widespread concern about the toll virtual learning took on children’s mental health. Relaxed safety protocols are also giving schools new tools to stay open, like combining classes and shortening quarantine.

That doesn’t mean the past few weeks have been easy. Interviews with 20 Colorado students, parents, teachers, principals, and district administrators provide a window into disrupted learning and reveal deep divides over the best way forward. Some students say they’re worried about catching the virus but also dread a return to virtual schooling.

“Going remote learning is like going a step back to the past,” said Andrew Caballero, a sophomore at Denver’s Abraham Lincoln High School. “Students should be able to go to school and interact with other students and not be home 24/7.”

Keeping schools open requires constant juggling

For Shane Knight, principal at Denver’s Knapp Elementary School, the text messages start at 5 a.m. and go until late. At first, he and his assistant principal were keeping track of sick or absent teachers on a whiteboard, marking those who were out with COVID with a red “C+.”

They later moved that accounting to a spreadsheet, but the logistics of who was absent and who was covering their classes became so unsustainable that Knapp temporarily switched to remote learning, one of more than 45 Denver schools to do so in the past three weeks.

“As soon as I informed my staff, the tension in the building dropped dramatically,” Knight said. “It was palpable. They were on edge like, ‘Who is leaving next?’”

It’s a feeling teachers from across Colorado said they know well.

Cara Godbe teaches a combined second and third grade class in Montrose. Vaccination means some students who would have had to quarantine in the fall can now stay in the classroom, but that presents its own challenges.

“I might have eight kids who are eligible to stay in the classroom, and 16 that are not,” she said. “And that puts teachers in a bind. How do you teach both groups of kids?”

When the third grade teacher at Kate Tynan-Ridgeway’s school, Palmer Elementary in Denver, was out with COVID right after winter break, she and the other second grade teacher split his class, adding 10 more kids to each of their rooms.

Instead of teaching the regular second grade curriculum, Tynan-Ridgeway said, “I was inventing my whole day. It was like, ‘Let me adapt this. Let me adapt that.’” Though the students were still getting academic instruction, it wasn’t what they’d normally learn.

The next week, Tynan-Ridgeway had to miss school because of her own COVID exposure.

Who’s in class

It’s hard to get a clear picture of full and partial school closures because Colorado doesn’t track them. Some districts told Chalkbeat that student and staff absences were similar to those in the fall, when Colorado endured a prolonged delta wave. Other districts reported a dramatic increase in COVID cases, lower attendance, and many teachers out sick.

The Adams 14 district in Commerce City went remote the second week of January, but opened most of its schools this week. Bayfield in southwestern Colorado canceled all classes and activities this week after a fifth of the entire teaching staff either tested positive or entered quarantine.

In the Greeley-Evans district, more than 300 staff members have tested positive so far this month, sending five schools, including one charter, into remote learning due to staffing shortages. In Aurora, student attendance hadn’t changed much, but staff absences were up 52% in January compared with the fall average.

“We meet every day around 3:45, 4 o’clock, to assess where we are for tomorrow and then tomorrow comes and the facts change on us and so we are trying to think very nimbly,” Aurora Superintendent Rico Munn told the school board.

Lack of substitute teachers is a major problem. In District 11 in Colorado Springs, almost half of teacher absences went unfilled last week. Many districts are dispatching central office workers, many of whom were never teachers, to help at schools. Denver sent out 500 of them a day, prioritizing coverage for schools at risk of closing.

Some teachers and students have said a short period of remote learning would provide more stability and question whether the disruption involved in keeping schools open is worth it. Amber Elias, Denver’s lead operational superintendent, believes it is.

“As much as our primary purpose is instruction, we provide so many more benefits,” Elias said. “I keep going back to the research that shows students are physically, mentally, and emotionally safer in school. We would rather keep kids in school when we can. We know we are not able to provide that quality of instruction that we would at full staffing, but there are a lot of other benefits to school.”

Some students find it hard to forget about COVID

Anoushka Jani spent all of last year online, worried about bringing COVID home to her family. She returned to Legacy High School in the Adams 12 Five Star school district in the fall as a vaccinated senior eager to make up for lost time. She attended football games and sought out unfamiliar students so she could get to know as many people as possible before she graduated.

Omicron has taken away that sense of ease. When she walks through crowded hallways or hears someone cough in class, she finds herself wondering if she was exposed.

“Coming back from winter break, I can hear in the hallways, kids are talking about their friends testing positive,” she said. “There are a lot fewer kids in classes. There are teachers out. There is a looming dread that we might go back online.”

Jason Hoang, a senior in Aurora, decided to quarantine last week after finding out that a friend he sat next to in multiple classes tested positive for COVID. The quarantine wasn’t required, but Hoang felt it was the right thing to do. Some teachers offered him a way to participate in classes remotely, but others just gave him assignments to do on his own at home.

“I’m surprised we’re actually still in person considering how COVID numbers have skyrocketed,” Hoang said. “I prioritize safety. I wish the school did that as well.”

Freshman Nayeli Lopez is one of several Denver Public Schools students who wrote an online petition demanding the district take additional safety measures, including providing students with the more protective KN95 masks, twice weekly COVID testing, and more flexibility to learn from home when school doesn’t feel safe. On Thursday, some students at North High School and Thomas Jefferson High School walked out of school in protest.

A small group of students walked out of Denver’s North High School to call for more COVID safety protocols.

Lopez, who goes to North, said she’s so worried about COVID and so frustrated with the district response that she can’t concentrate in class.

“I feel that they’re giving up on us,” Lopez said of district leaders.

Denver officials are distributing KN95 masks to schools, including smaller ones for young children, but believe that the safety measures they’ve employed all year continue to keep schools safe.

Teenagers have the highest COVID rates in the state right now, according to public health officials, and child hospitalizations are at record levels. State Epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy said some transmission is occurring in schools, but also at home and in social settings. The best protection, she said, continues to be vaccination.

Many school districts have shortened quarantine requirements under new federal guidance in an effort to keep students and staff in person, even as some teachers worry that the constant shuffle is contributing to more spread. Colorado school districts have a wide range of mask and quarantine policies, and officials everywhere say their schools are safe.

Denver leaders point to universal masking and the district’s 99% staff vaccination rate as limiting transmission. Mesa Valley District 51 requires masks when more than 2% of a school population tests positive. In Cañon City, students “on quarantine” after an exposure can come to school if they agree to wear a mask.

Isenia Fregoso, a junior at Central High School in Mesa County, also worries about COVID, especially after her mom got sick over the holidays despite being vaccinated. She feels safer now that her school has a mask requirement, and she would rather be in school.

“Adults need to realize that it’s really hard for students to stay engaged even in person, and it’s even harder to keep that momentum and motivation online,” she said. “You’re just alone and it feels different. The experience does matter and the setting and what students are used to when it comes to being in school.”

Parents are making their own decisions about school

Emily Stone got an email that her third grade son had been exposed to COVID on his first day back in school from winter break. Although he and his older brother are vaccinated, Stone decided to keep both home last week due to rising case counts.

The decision was based on something her third grader asked her after he was exposed. “My youngest said, ‘Mom, can you tell me I’m really safe at school?’” said Stone, who lives in Denver. “And I couldn’t say yes. I was like, ‘I don’t know, kiddo.’”

Other parents said they’re more resigned to the situation.

Michelle Squier’s 14-year-old son, who is vaccinated, got COVID in early January, a week after his mother and older sister contracted the virus. He missed several days at Bell Middle School in Golden, and when he returned, a teacher noticed his residual cough and he was sent home for another day and a half. This week, he’s back in class.

“That’s just life right now,” Squier said. “We’re all in that boat. We’re all together.”

Ana Jelly Melchor, a mother of two Aurora students, said she’s weary of teachers taking sick time and frustrated that her children have missed out on opportunities. Her older son told her that he was denied a schedule change to take college-level courses due to COVID concerns.

“He has all A’s,” she said. “When I had parent-teacher conferences, the teachers said that he needed to be in college-level courses, something more advanced, but they haven’t sent him.”

‘Teachers are doing a lot’

This week, Herlihy said it appears omicron has peaked in Colorado and new cases are heading down. Administrators in some metro area districts also said it seemed they had turned a corner, with fewer staff calling out sick and just a handful of classrooms on remote learning.

Coza Perry, who teaches sixth grade English at a middle school in Denver, said knowing the disruptions are temporary has made this month feel more hopeful than fall semester. In the fall, some teachers were gone for long stretches because they were unhappy and eventually quit. This semester, with a more stable staff and several months of in-person learning under their belts, “little moments of joy are starting to creep back up,” Perry said.

“Before, the tension was, ‘You’re out and I don’t know if you’re sick and I don’t know if you’re coming back,’” she said. “Now it’s like, ‘OK, I can handle covering a science class for three days and I know the science teacher is coming back.’”

Cañon City Schools made changes to their procedures in the fall that took some of the burden off principals, and it made a big difference in their ability to manage COVID.

“The pandemic has absolutely been a huge stress on education,” Superintendent Adam Hartman said. “It’s a huge pressure on staff. But it’s important that it not be all gloom and doom. We are dealing with omicron and the numbers are up, but we are persevering.”

Godbe, the Montrose teacher, said it’s almost scary how well her students and colleagues can “turn on a dime” two years into the pandemic, but she worries it will just become expected. She knows open schools keep society functioning and allow parents to work, but the new reality also raises questions about the role of teachers.

“Are we essential workers? Are we babysitters? Are we professionals and experts?” she asked. “Teachers are doing a lot for communities right now, and it would be great if that could be acknowledged.”

Yesenia Robles and Ann Schimke contributed reporting.

Some Colorado schools are doubling down on mask requirements, while masks remain optional in others.

Adams 14 board approves plan to bring students back to classrooms

2022-01-19T04:23:01+00:00

Some schools in the Adams 14 district may return to in-person instruction Wednesday after the school board voted to accept school-by-school thresholds for how much staff is enough to safely open schools.

As of Tuesday night, three schools would not have enough staff to offer in-person learning Wednesday.

The board voted late Tuesday evening in a special meeting to address teachers’ concerns about school safety amid the omicron surge and staff shortages. The district and its management company, MGT, have been at odds on various issues, including on whether or not to return to in-person learning.

Last week, Adams 14 became the first district in the state to move all schools to remote learning.

At the end of the week, MGT leaders directed schools to return to in-person instruction Tuesday. But the district declined to meet union requests for clear guidelines on when schools would move to remote learning. Teachers then called in sick.

The district had to announce Monday after 8 p.m. that nine of its 11 schools would be remote for at least another day. The district’s two preschools were in person Tuesday.

Principals and other educators who spoke to the board on Tuesday mentioned that some families didn’t get the message and bus drivers had to relay it as they picked up some kids in the morning and told others to head back home. The decision late Tuesday could set up a similar dilemma Wednesday.

While there was disagreement about details, every principal and educator who addressed the board said the most important thing families needed was clear and timely communication.

“Our kids are starting to struggle today more because of the uncertainty,” said Luis Camas, principal of Rose Hill Elementary. “It’s starting to trickle down now.”

Even after the board vote, it wasn’t clear which school buildings would be open Wednesday and which would be closed, since each school has its own metric. District officials sent out communication about an hour after the end of the meeting to say three schools would continue remote learning: Adams City High School, Kearney Middle School, and Monaco Elementary School.

Initially the district had discussed setting a threshold of 25% of staff absent as the bar for moving a school to remote learning. But principals told the board Tuesday that they wanted to set their own thresholds because each school was different. Some of the small schools may find it hard to absorb even a few unfilled absences in certain positions or grades.

The board voted unanimously to support the new approach, but members initially were split on whether or not to accept the thresholds that were presented to them based on principal feedback and supported by the union, or whether to wait to get feedback from parents and teachers.

This policy could change again soon.

For now, the district plans to use the thresholds approved Tuesday but the board also told the superintendent to create policies incorporating feedback from families.

Board members said the new guidelines should include things like a time by which families will be informed of school closures and when rates of community transmission would trigger school closures. Those guidelines will be presented for the board to vote on next Tuesday.

In Newark, a mix of nerves and excitement as schools reopen

2022-01-18T19:24:46+00:00

Lashundra Shamburger juggled opposing emotions as she walked her two children to school Tuesday morning. On the one hand, she felt it was time for them to leave their computers and return to the classroom. On the other hand, COVID.

“They need to go back,” she said as the family strode briskly on the sidewalk toward Camden Street Elementary School in Newark. But, she added, “I’m worried about them going back to school.”

Her daughter, Danielle, who is in the sixth grade, felt just as conflicted.

“I think it’s going to be great,” she said, her hood pulled up against the cold and a mask covering half her face. “But I don’t think it’s safe because a lot of people have tested positive.”

The Newark school district temporarily closed classrooms after winter break due to a surge in COVID cases, including hundreds of students and staffers who tested positive. After two weeks of virtual learning, city and district officials determined that the pace of new infections had slowed enough to allow school buildings to safely reopen on Tuesday.

“Newark Public Schools is, in fact, back in person,” Superintendent Roger León said on the All Politics R Local show.

Now the big question facing Newark schools is whether everyone will return. The district is not offering a remote option, but some families who remain worried about COVID could potentially decide to keep their children home.

Some school staffers might also stay home due to illness or fear of infection. Hundreds of district employees have tested positive for COVID just in the past few weeks. (The district has not updated its online COVID tracker since Jan. 9, so it’s unclear how many people tested positive last week.)

The district has taken a number of steps to reduce COVID spread, including mandating masks in schools, installing air purifiers throughout schools, and offering weekly COVID testing. However, one limitation is that many families have not submitted consent forms allowing their children to be tested. Before winter break, only about a third of the district’s 38,000 students had turned in the forms.

During the interview with All Politics R Local host Jonathan Alston, León said the district will monitor school infection rates and shut down sites when new cases spike.

“We will close it down,” he said. “We will close a classroom, an office, a whole entire school building.”

A security guard wearing a plastic face shield takes students’ temperatures before they entered Camden Street Elementary School.

At Camden Street Elementary School, which serves about 600 students in Newark’s Central Ward, Principal Samuel Garrison said Tuesday that protocols are in place to keep students safe. He added that students benefit socially and academically when they learn face to face.

“Hands down, the best instruction our kids are going to receive is in-person instruction,” he said. “At every level, kids learn better when they’re in person.”

Several parents said they agree.

Shawn Porter noticed that his two daughters, in kindergarten and fifth grade, seemed a little lethargic during remote learning. But on Tuesday, they were eager to get up and head to school.

“It’s not like waking them up for virtual,” he said. “They’re actually excited.”

Not everyone was as enthusiastic about returning.

After dropping off her children Tuesday, a parent who gave only her last name, Hayes, said she thought it was too soon for schools to reopen. Before break, she recalled hearing about several students and staff members getting COVID. (The district reported that two students and eight employees at Camden Street tested positive in the week before winter break.)

“How are you going to stop COVID from spreading?” she asked.

Another parent, JJ Rome, said he would have kept his third and fourth graders at home if that was an option.

“Until COVID is over,” he said, “I’d prefer it to be the same way it’s been: remote learning.”

After Keisha, who gave only her last initial, B, waved good-bye to her grandson Tuesday, she watched the second grader sprint to the school entrance, where guards were taking students’ temperatures before they stepped inside. Like most parents and guardians, Keisha said she was confident that the school’s employees would do everything in their power to keep her child safe.

“I’m a little apprehensive,” she said, “but I’m trusting that they’re going to treat our children just like they would treat their own.”

Newark families, educators prepare for schools to reopen Jan. 18

2022-01-15T03:10:07+00:00

Updated: Newark families and educators are cautiously preparing for students to return to classrooms Tuesday, some two weeks after the district reverted to remote learning due to a surge in COVID cases.

The district announced Friday evening that in-person learning would resume on Jan. 18, as planned. Schools had signaled in recent days that classrooms would soon reopen, and the Newark Teachers Union president told members to “assume that we are going back.”

Some new data appear to support reopening, including a slight decline in the city’s rate of positive COVID tests, according to Mayor Ras Baraka, who said Friday that “our numbers are continuously tiptoeing down.” However, the positivity rate remains high, at about 28%, and hundreds of school employees continue to test positive each week.

While they awaited word from the district, some Newark parents and teachers expressed ambivalence about the return. They recognize that remote learning is difficult for many students and working parents who must rearrange their schedules to supervise their temporary homeschoolers. Yet they also recall the spike in school COVID cases last month due to the highly transmissible omicron variant, and worry about a repeat if classrooms reopen.

“The best place for them to be educated is in school,” said Ruby McGaskill, an eighth grade English teacher at Chancellor Avenue School. “But we also want to be safe.”

Statewide, schools that sent students home this month due to the COVID surge are starting to reopen. About 20% of New Jersey schools were operating remotely this week, down from about 35% the previous week, according to state officials. Jersey City is among the districts planning to welcome students back to classrooms next week, citing a decline in employee infections.

By contrast, the Paterson school district decided to extend remote learning at least through Jan. 24. Other districts, including Bloomfield and Montclair, are allowing families to choose between in-person or virtual learning.

The Newark Public Schools website was updated Friday to say that in-person learning would restart on Jan. 18, adding: “Newark Public Schools are back!”

This week individual schools held virtual family meetings and posted on social media telling students to prepare for next week’s return. In a Facebook video posted Friday, the principal of Bard High School Early College Newark told the school community to expect a safe reopening next week.

“I have heard that there are many of you facing this reopening with some trepidation or anxiety,” said Dr. Carla Stephens, “and I wanted to reassure you that we are ready.”

Newark Teachers Union President John Abeigon said in a letter to members this week that the expectation “for now” is that students and staffers will be back in schools on Jan. 18. But he added: “As we have seen, things can change rapidly,” and told members they would be notified of any changes.

In an interview, Abeigon said he is encouraged by reports that new infections appear to be slowing in several cities, including Newark, where new cases soared last month. He added that he believes the district’s safety measures, including mandatory masking and staff vaccinations, have worked, and that individual classrooms or even schools could be shut down in the event of an outbreak without moving the entire district back to remote learning.

“Like everyone else, I’m feeling a little bit of confidence and anxiety at the same time,” he said.

One potential obstacle for reopening is keeping schools staffed. Out of some 3,000 teachers and school employees who were tested for COVID over winter break, as required by the district, about 11% tested positive, Abeigon said. Infections continued during remote learning, with the district reporting 338 new employee cases from Jan. 3-9.

Before winter break, some schools faced severe staff shortages. One elementary school teacher said substitutes are in such short supply that art and gym teachers occasionally had to fill in for missing teachers or classroom aides. Many custodial and cafeteria workers also were out, which at one point forced an administrator to do kitchen duty, the teacher said.

“We have seen crazy stuff,” she told Chalkbeat this week. “You never imagine you’d see your vice principal cooking lunch.”

Working in the district’s favor, nearly 90% of teachers are vaccinated, which greatly lowers their risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID. Also, under new state guidelines, school employees and students who test positive for COVID now need only quarantine for five days instead of 10, which should help limit disruptions.

The district will resume weekly in-school COVID testing when buildings reopen, Abeigon said. However, as of last month, just under a third of the district’s roughly 38,000 students had submitted consent forms from their parents or guardians allowing them to be tested.

A teacher at one elementary school said only about five of her 14 students turned in consent forms. With the limited student testing and high case count in New Jersey, the teacher said she would prefer to see remote learning extended for a while longer.

“Even though I’d rather have my kids there” in school, she said, “I still don’t think it’s safe.”

Some Newark parents also feel conflicted about the prospect of schools reopening on Tuesday.

Lisa Gordon said she doesn’t feel good about sending her two daughters back to Harriet Tubman School next week because she has seen so many people around them get sick. But she also believes they learn best in person.

“You don’t want your kids to be behind,” she said.

Her husband, Kerone Jackson, said he was “50/50” about schools reopening. While remote learning is tough for students and parents alike, he said, he wouldn’t mind seeing it last a little longer until the infection rate falls further.

On Thursday, he was preparing mentally to send his daughters back to school — but with a big caveat.

“If I hear of one case in my child’s classroom, I will pull them out,” he said. “I can’t risk mine.”

Pike Township superintendent replaced after problems with busing and teacher pay

2022-01-14T16:03:21+00:00

Flora Reichanadter is no longer the superintendent of Pike Township Schools following months of parent and teacher criticism over her management of the district and concerns over teacher pay.

Thursday night the school board voted unanimously to appoint an interim superintendent and signaled Reichanadter’s contract would soon be terminated. Reichanadter, who is often referred to as Dr. Flora, was hired as the district leader in January 2017.

“Our board counsel is in discussion with Dr. Flora’s counsel regarding an amicable separation between Dr. Flora and MSD of Pike Township,” said Pike School Board President Terry A. Webster, Sr.

Last month Webster described recent months as the toughest board members faced as they took “lumps and hits” from the public about their commitment to students and the community.

In late November, some parents of the district’s roughly 11,000 students started an online petition to remove Reichanadter as superintendent, partially due to her leadership during the teacher contract bargaining sessions. Later, members of the Pike teachers association approved a vote of no confidence in the superintendent. Following a meditation process, the district and teachers union reached an agreement to raise educator pay.

Pike Township has struggled to offer in-person classes throughout the first part of this school year and this month.

Larry Young, assistant superintendent of operations, was approved by the board at Thursday’s meeting to be interim superintendent for the remainder of the school year. Young said he knows the community is frustrated.

“I hear and really offer no excuses for the concerns that have been brought by parents, by staff, even by the board, and those concerns are justified,” said Young, who is also a Pike graduate. “Getting children to school should not even be a discussion that we’re having. Please, I want to let the community know that the board has the expectation that my staff gets this thing right. We are going to.”

Reichanadter could not immediately be reached for comment. She did not attend Thursday’s public school board meeting, as well the last three public meetings.

The board approved a new three-year contract with her in July which set an annual base salary of $206,907, not including other compensation such as performance pay, fringe benefits and retirement contributions.

According to the contract, the board can terminate the agreement prior to June 2024 if it gives 30 days notice and pays out whatever is greater — a year of compensation or half the compensation due for the remainder of the contract period.

Reichanadter’s total compensation in 2020 was $277,395, according to the listing in the state’s public employees database.

Bus driver absences lead to remote learning

Students were forced into remote learning for most of this month because staff absences prevented transportation to school. Although the district resumed in-person learning Thursday after more than seven days of remote instruction, Pike parent Rhonda Moore said the inconsistent school schedule and bus delays may force her to remove her kindergartener from Pike Township.

“My kids sat for almost two hours waiting on somebody to come and pick him up,” Moore said. “This is ridiculous.”

In response to the transportation problems, the Pike board members unanimously approved a motion to begin paying bus drivers based on their experience, which increases the hourly wage for some “top tier drivers” from roughly $24 to nearly $28 and provides an annual step increase.

“I believe part of our shortage over the last few years has been because we don’t pay drivers for their years of experience,” Young said. “So for drivers next door – and they’re making $25 per hour and they’ve been working as a driver for 10 years — if they came over to Pike they would start at the bottom of our pay – which has been lower – and they’d only make $19 per hour.”

This motion also allows the district to implement bus route changes to ensure in-person learning can continue when some bus drivers are absent.

Contact WFYI education reporter Elizabeth Gabriel at egabriel@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @_elizabethgabs.

As Chicago students return to classrooms, parents feel relief, worry, frustration

2022-01-12T16:22:33+00:00

Outside Cooper Dual Language Academy in Pilsen, Marisol de Paz watched Wednesday morning as her two sons, bundled in black winter coats and carrying black backpacks, waited for the doors to open.

The mother had conflicting feelings about the reopening. On the one hand, she was “excited” because she felt in-person learning was better than remote learning. On the other hand, the latest surge in cases brought on from omicron was “worrisome.”

“Even if my entire family is vaccinated, I still worry because vaccinated people are still getting the virus,” de Paz said. “It’s worrisome — but we have to learn to live with it, while continuing to take precautions seriously.”

Chicago schools reopened Wednesday after an acrimonious standoff between the city and its teachers union over COVID safety concerns on campuses. The standoff drew national attention after it abruptly shuttered schools to the vast majority of the district’s 330,000 students — and because it dragged into the spotlight the sizable challenges faced by schools amid an unpredictable virus, from staffing shortages to quarantine confusion to delays in contact tracing and testing.

Caught in the middle were parents such as de Paz, who is trying to balance the safety of her sons with making sure they are getting the best education possible during a tumultuous time.

She’s talked to her sons about proper mask-wearing, handwashing, and keeping physical distance when possible.

While she loved spending time with her sons last week after they were stranded at home due to abrupt school closures, de Paz said her sons felt a bit frustrated and stuck at home.

“They felt like a bird in a cage,” she said.

In reflecting on the teachers union’s decision to walk out of school buildings and insist on remote learning and on the city’s reaction to cancel classes entirely, de Paz urged city and state officials to take the concerns of teachers seriously and give “priority to public schools.”

“This is the future for everyone, not just a few parents,” de Paz said. “Work with the teachers. Give these teachers and students priority. Give them the things they need to stay protected.”

She said she finds it difficult to believe the city doesn’t have money for the basics like masks.

“This is a global pandemic that is impacting everyone,” she said. “Masks shouldn’t be a luxury. This is important. This is necessary for them to be in class every day.”

Reyna Garcia, whose fifth grade son also attends Cooper Dual Language Academy, was happy for classes to resume in-person. She didn’t want to see a return to remote learning because it “didn’t work for him last year.”

She understood concerns about coronavirus but felt it was time to “learn to live” with the new reality by getting vaccinated and taking extra precautions, she said.

The previous week of canceled classes wasn’t a challenge for her because she’s currently working remotely, but said if she were working in her office she wouldn’t have been able to manage.

“My sister, who has four kids at Cooper, was struggling a lot,” Garcia said. “She was looking for babysitters. It was difficult for her.”

Garcia said she wished the district and the teachers union had worked it out or talked directly to parents before making a decision that impacts so many children and parents.

The fate of the tentative agreement that sent students back to classes Wednesday is now in the hands of the union.

The union’s leadership body — the 700-person House of Delegates — has voted to end the standoff, but it’s not yet a done deal. The rank-and-file membership has until Wednesday afternoon to give final approval to the tentative safety agreement reached by the city and union.

A simple majority will decide the outcome. The vote is expected to pass.

The agreement establishes school-level metrics that will determine when campuses are flipped remotely, boosts contact tracing by paying teachers extra to fortify the district’s efforts, and sets a goal of securing 100% of parents to opt-in to COVID surveillance testing by Feb. 1 through phone banking and joint CPS-CTU efforts.

The district also agreed under pressure from teachers to distribute KN95 masks to all staff and students and bring back a daily safety screener, though it is up to campuses to make the final decision about whether to restart the electronic screener and have families fill it out daily.

The agreement does not deliver everything the union wanted and some teachers were undecided going into the vote.

On Wednesday, a day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that she had contracted COVID-19 and would be in quarantine for five days, Cooper students, bundled in winter coats and talking with one another, waited in frigid temperature along a chain-link fence until the front doors opened shortly before 7:45 a.m. Some parents hugged and kissed their children as they wished them a good first day back.

Jenny Reyes, who dropped off her daughter shortly before 7:30 a.m., felt “pretty confident” about the return to in-person learning. Like other parents, she said remote just didn’t work for her children who are distracted by YouTube or other online websites.

The mother said the canceled week of classes was fine because even though educators were locked out of digital classrooms, her child’s teacher still managed to contact parents to provide homework during the days off. “She was sending texts and calling” to send assignments.

In talking with her daughter’s teacher, Reyes sympathized with educators who she felt were fighting for greater protections at schools.

“All they got were masks, but lost four days of pay,” she said. “I feel sad for them.”

The mayor has said it is up to CEO Pedro Martinez whether teachers will receive back pay for the canceled classes. The district could add four instructional days back to the calendar and effectively close the pay gap that way, but that has yet to be determined.

Reyes hopes that parents are taking this latest variant seriously. “I hope they are responsible and don’t send their kids to school if they’re sick or have symptoms,” she added.

But not all parents were happy for the return, Maria Gonzalez was not feeling good about sending her daughter back into the classroom.

The district’s safety measures, she said, were inadequate at schools. She was frustrated with contact tracing efforts that failed to notify parents about positive cases in her child’s class, she said.

“They didn’t even inform me if there was a case,” Gonzalez said. “My daughter could have had it and I didn’t know. That’s one thing I’m very upset about. There’s no communication and I’m totally against” the reopening.”

The fight between the district and the teachers union left her frustrated. She believed both sides had valid points, but the fight was ultimately “unfair” and hurt kids.

“The ones that were punished were the kids,” Gonzalez said. “Not the teachers. Not the mayor. Nobody else, it was just the kids.”

Cassie Walker Burke contributed to this report.

‘I have to accept that we lost’: Some Chicago teachers still undecided on union reopening vote

2022-01-11T23:41:09+00:00

With mixed feelings and frustration with their bosses, Chicago teachers began voting Tuesday afternoon on a tentative agreement that would end a standoff between Chicago and its powerful teachers union.

The city’s students, who missed five days of classes as the two sides negotiated over COVID safety measures to reopen schools, will return to classrooms Wednesday — but the teachers’ vote will ultimately determine whether they stay there.

Several teachers on Tuesday said they were undecided and were consulting colleagues, while others took strong positions: voting for it out of concern for students and or against it because they worried it didn’t buttress schools enough from the highly contagious omicron variant.

Following the lead of union delegates, who voted Monday night 63% to 37% to send the proposed agreement to the 25,000-member body, the union’s rank and file are expected to pass the agreement. Voting will start Tuesday afternoon and end Wednesday at 4 p.m.

A simple majority will determine the outcome.

Union leadership planned to meet with teachers Tuesday evening, and the group’s House of Delegates — which has the power to stop or start a work action and would make the call on next steps should the proposal get voted down — is scheduled to meet again Wednesday evening.

“Remember, we weren’t fighting to make something good a little better. There was zero metric,” President Jesse Sharkey said in a message to members about what the next 24 hours would bring. “Whichever way you vote, every last word of protection in that document, you fought and sacrificed to gain.”

But it falls short of some of the union’s key demands: districtwide metrics for flipping schools, an opt-out program that would automatically sign students up for testing, and a temporary period of remote learning.

Teachers say the vote, even a passing one, won’t end the rancor, and as of midday Tuesday, some were still trying to decide what to do.

“This (proposal) is clearly inadequate,” said Andrew Johnson, a teacher at Westinghouse College Prep, a selective enrollment high school on Chicago’s West Side. “But I am still thinking through the consequences of rejecting this agreement.”

He said employee attendance at his school Tuesday was relatively low, and the mood was subdued, with little appetite among educators for rehashing the developments of the past week.

Johnson and other teachers expressed concerns that some of the provisions in the plan, such as paying unionized staff to step up and help with contact tracing at schools, will add another burden to a near-burned out workforce.

Johnson’s colleague, Anne Prendergast, a union delegate at the school, said she planned to vote against the measure. She said she did not trust the mayor or the district to uphold safety protections when they “go on network media and say one thing and what we are experiencing is something different.”

Leslie Russell, an English teacher at Walter Payton College Prep, also intended to vote no.

Russell is vaccinated yet recently contracted COVID; she still has a cough and congestion and is quarantined until mid-January. When schools reopened after winter break and she had to stay home sick, the students in her enrichment seminar — geared toward helping Black teens find their place at the school — were put into open gym.

Staffing shortages have forced tough choices that penalize students, she said.

“We have to literally be unable to deliver an education and then be reactive,” said Russell, who thinks the school district should pause in-person learning until the omicron spike subsides and then implement universal testing.

Her children attend a charter school where every child is tested once week. The school offered a testing drive-thru to kick off operations after winter break, a reassurance to parents like her.

Samson Widerman, who teaches English at Solorio High School on the city’s South Side, was undecided as of mid-afternoon Tuesday. While many teachers were expressing disappointment, he thought the proposal did contain some key wins for educators, most notably metrics for flipping whole schools to remote — a factor he called “vital.”

But he still had lingering concerns as the omicron variant causes numbers to surge. “I am not convinced the specific percentages in the proposal are acute enough to keep teachers, staff, and students safe,” he said.

Cooper Elementary teacher Hilario Dominguez, a CTU delegate at the Pilsen school, also remained undecided Tuesday afternoon. He expressed frustrations with the mayor’s handling of the negotiations.

Still, the union, Dominguez said, pushed the mayor on more testing, a metric on flipping schools, and masks. The fact that “we had to fight for the basics in a pandemic is outrageous,” he said.

Dominguez, who teaches students with disabilities, was “baffled” by the mayor’s stance against temporary remote learning.

Dominguez learned only minutes earlier that Mayor Lori Lightfoot had tested positive for COVID and said she did what she needed to do for herself, which was to isolate.

“I’m glad she is taking care of herself and quarantining, but I wish that would be the same decision for our families, our students, and our staff right now,” Dominguez said. “We are in danger. Rates are dangerously high.”

Teachers also wondered Tuesday how they will talk about the abrupt cancellation of school midyear with their students. After teachers voted to teach remotely last week, the city canceled classes for five days and locked teachers out of their digital accounts, severing communication with students and families.

Some teachers found workarounds to reach out to families or posted letters to social media, and about 16% of teachers reported to school buildings amid the standoff. Many others lost communication with their classes entirely.

Dr. Winnie Williams-Hall, who teaches students with disabilities at Nicholson STEM Academy in Englewood, said she planned to hold conversations with her students Wednesday so they could ask questions and express their feelings about the abrupt break.

“I plan to incorporate social emotional learning activities throughout the week and help them ease back into classroom routines and protocols,” she said.

Williams-Hall said she will vote for the proposal because students such as hers are at a “clear disadvantage” during remote learning.

“I am not opposed to remote learning,” she explained, “but I would prefer to have that in-person connection to my students.”

Chicago Public Schools and the teachers union need to come together to hold a conversation with teachers of all networks to move forward, Williams-Hall said. “I would love for there to be accountability for things that we are supposed to have in place such as equity of resources, ongoing COVID testing, and accurate and timely contact tracing.”

Despite feeling deflated in the outcome of negotiations, some teachers were resigned about returning to in-person instruction.

A teacher at Benito Juarez High School on the city’s Lower West Side, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from the union, said the fight was ultimately a “loss” for teachers.

“It has been pretty upsetting to be a teacher,” they said.

Last week, the teacher voted against working remotely because they felt the call should fall on the district and the mayor to protect students and staff.

“It should be on her conscience,” the teacher said. “It shouldn’t be up to the teachers union to make that call. It shouldn’t be the responsibility of the union. I’m sick of us being the bad guys all the time.”

At the same time, the teacher said the union failed with its messaging, which should have focused on the staffing shortages stretching teachers thin.

At the Lower West Side campus, the return to school has been mired with staffing shortages. In some instances, up to three classes are being held in the auditorium. After the break, the school had 31 staffers out with COVID and empty classrooms because many students weren’t returning after the holidays, the teacher said.

Last Monday, 58% of students were in attendance and only a slight uptick to 63% before the walk-out, they said.

The district, the teacher said, did not accurately represent what was happening with testing and undercounted COVID cases at her school — a case count that put a strain on the staffing problems.

The quality of education suffers when schools aren’t fully staffed, they added.

Still, the teacher planned to vote for a return to classes.

“We tried our best to protect people in the best possible way,” they said, lamenting that teachers got “nothing” from negotiations other than masks.

“I have to accept that we lost and move on and hope people don’t get sick,” the teacher said.

Talks ‘productive’ as Chicago families wait for school reopening news

2022-01-11T04:37:04+00:00

This is a developing story.

9:00 p.m. A deal in the works

Chicago Public Schools and its teachers union have agreed to restart in-person classes Wednesday after a tense standoff that canceled four days of classes for the vast majority of the district’s 330,000 students.

A tentative agreement that will bring teachers back to school Tuesday now goes to the rank and file for a vote. Read more here.

6:56 p.m. Talks ‘productive’

In a brief statement Monday night, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and schools chief Pedro Martinez said Monday negotiations were productive.

“We are waiting to hear back from the CTU. We will update parents, students and members of the public as soon as we are as able,” they said in the statement.

The statement came as the Chicago Teachers Union convened a meeting with its delegates.

5:00 p.m. No decision on classes for Tuesday

As negotiations between the district and its teachers union stretch on, Chicago Public Schools said no decision had yet been made regarding classes Tuesday.

The district said in a tweet that it remained in negotiations and would provide an update as soon as possible.

The announcement came as some schools began notifying parents and students that classes would be canceled yet again on Tuesday.

Both Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the union have laid claims in recent days to safeguarding the interests of families. But some parents and students said Monday that neither the city nor the union have polled them, making it impossible to quantify where the majority of families stand. Read more here.

4:00 p.m. Some parents seek third party relief

As some Chicago schools started to send out cancellation notices for Tuesday, some parents turned to the state labor board for help.

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board told Chalkbeat Chicago reporter Mila Koumpilova Monday that several Chicago parents have sent emails urging the board to act swiftly on dueling complaints the district and the Chicago Teachers Union filed last week.

But the board may not be a source of quick relief. The Labor Relations Board could decide as early as later this week to dismiss the complaints or let them go forward. But even if it ultimately finds later this month that injunctive relief (such as requiring teachers to report in-person) is merited, a circuit court judge will need to sign off.

Judges are often unaccustomed to these cases and could take some time to rule. They might be reluctant to step in the middle of a labor dispute, a board spokesman said. “It’s usually better if the two sides settle their own disputes.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona spoke at an Indianapolis public high school on Monday about the importance of keeping schools open for in-person learning. Chalkbeat Indiana bureau chief Stephanie Wang followed up by email to ask if the federal government was involved behind the scenes to try to find resolution between Chicago Public Schools and the teachers union.

A spokesperson said the department had been in contact with the district and the American Federation of Teachers, the national union to which CTU is a member, and was encouraging both sides to come to a resolution using federal stimulus money.

9:00 a.m. Advocacy efforts underway as standoff enters fourth day

As the standoff over Chicago Public Schools COVID protocols enters its fourth day of no classes, parents and community groups are gearing up to host a string of events Monday to call for an end to the impasse.

The district and the Chicago Teachers Union continued talks until about 9:30 Sunday evening but were unable to arrive at an agreement. The district announced shortly before 8 p.m. that classes Monday would be canceled though some schools are working to set up enrichment programs and other activities for students this week. At an early Monday press conference, union leaders said the two sides remain far apart on key issues.

Union members voted last Tuesday evening to stop reporting to work in person until the district and union reach an agreement on stepped-up COVID safety measures or the omicron surge subsides. Mayor Lori Lightfoot and district officials, who have argued that a districtwide return to remote learning would unnecessarily disrupt learning, moved to cancel classes, blocking teachers’ access to their work emails and virtual classrooms.

Talks between the district and union resumed at 10:30 this morning.

On a frigid morning, parents demanding a prompt return to in-person classes gathered at New Field Elementary in Rogers Park, Phillip Rogers Fine Arts, and Byrne Elementary in Oak Park.

The nonprofit Kids First Chicago is scheduled to host a virtual meeting with parents at 11:30. A press release said the parents, whose children attend schools on the West and South sides, feel their perspectives have been overlooked in the debate.

Eight community groups, including the parent advocacy groups Raise Your Hand and Illinois Families for Public Schools, are planning to hold a virtual event at noon in support of a slate of demands titled “Trust, Learning, Care” that the groups first promoted last spring. Those include mandating weekly COVID testing for all students and staff, with the option for families to opt out, and hiring more mental health professionals and nurses.

The teachers union said educators would fan out in neighborhoods across the city today to canvass families. Car caravans would then head downtown, where they would converge on City Hall at noon.

At a Monday morning press conference outside Spry Elementary in Little Village, Chicago Teachers Union president Jesse Sharkey said that bargaining had reached a “serious” phase — “that’s good news,” he said — but key points of disagreement remained, including a metric for closing schools when COVID rates spike. Teachers said some classrooms at the school had been flipped to remote before winter break, and that attendance had been high.

Read our recent coverage:

Here’s where CPS and CTU have reached agreement — and a list of issues where there is ongoing disagreement.
Here’s a first look at data that show school-level vaccination and surveillance testing opt-in rates by campus and why these numbers are at the heart of debate.
How Chicago’s abrupt shutdown impacted parents, students, and educators
Illinois’ state school board wants schools to stay open. It’s an uphill battle.

Chicago, union agree to reopen schools Wednesday as rank and file weighs final deal

2022-01-11T04:09:51+00:00

A tentative agreement that will bring teachers back to school Tuesday now goes to the rank and file for a vote. It includes a joint effort to boost COVID-19 surveillance testing and school-level safety metrics that would shutter individual campuses and shift them to remote learning for five days should 30% of teachers be absent for two consecutive days or 40% of students be quarantined.

The union and district leadership did not appear together to make the announcement about reopening campuses. Ballots likely will go to teachers Tuesday, union officials said.

The question of whether union members will receive pay for the four canceled days of classes will be left up to district CEO Pedro Martinez, union lawyer Robert Bloch said Monday, though the district could reschedule missed instructional days and plan to pay teachers for them, effectively making up the gap.

Chicago Public Schools did not agree to a districtwide threshold to shutter schools as the union had wanted. It also refused to implement a testing program that would automatically sign up students and require parents to opt out.

The proposal, which passed the union’s House of Delegates with 63% voting to send it to membership, comes after teachers voted last week to stop reporting to work in person and instead teach remotely — and district leaders canceled classes for four days in response.

Even as districts across the country struggled with post-winter break staffing shortages and rising case counts, the standoff in Chicago once again drew national attention for its uncommon acrimony and disruption.

Despite sharp words and seemingly intractable discord, both sides were under pressure to find a way out of the stalemate.

The third abrupt halt to learning in as many years was fueling rising parent frustration, at a time when the district is already grappling with a sharp increase in families leaving for private schools, suburban districts, and homeschooling — a development with major implications for the district’s long-term financial health.

The district and union negotiations team spent hours at the table last week, through the weekend, and on Monday, frustrating parents who said neither the district nor the union were asking families to weigh in a bid to avert a second week of uncertainty and disruption for children.

‘We worked hard to find a compromise’

Following the tentative agreement, Mayor Lori Lightfoot Monday night said parents and guardians could now “breathe a sigh of relief.”

Lightfoot reiterated the importance of in-person learning, especially after seeing the devastating impact of remote learning over the course of the pandemic.

“We know this has been very difficult for students and families,” Lightfoot said. “Our goal was to get our students back to in-person learning as quickly as possible and prevent work disruptions for the rest of the school year.”

Lightfoot said they heard parents loud and clear. “It’s been extremely helpful to hear from you,” she said. “We need you at the table, always.”

Union officials said the agreement will boost testing and contact tracing in schools, deliver more face coverings to staff and students, and boost campus-level safety metrics — but they described an arduous negotiation process and said the proposal had some shortcomings.

“We worked hard to find a compromise. I’m not going to say anyone on our team feels like this is a home run,” said union President Jesse Sharkey. “It was cold out in Chicago, we were locked out of schools, and we were going without pay and we were watching our students reach out … We tried to put together something that would work.”

Under the proposal that the union’s 25,000-person membership will weigh midweek, schools would suspend in-person learning if schoolwide teacher absences due to COVID-19 exceeded 30% — or above 25% with the use of substitutes and internal staff. During a COVID surge, a school could also flip to remote learning if 40% of students were instructed to quarantine. School-level safety committees will review school situations and vote to flip a school to remote learning — and the district will provide additional testing on those campuses.

School would resume in-person learning after five days, in accordance with recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Illinois State Board of Education.

On the contentious matter of testing, the proposal states that testing will continue on campuses and that the district and union will work together to boost testing with a goal of achieving 100% participation by Feb. 1 through phone banks and stepped-up promotion of the testing program. At schools with fewer than 10% of students opting into testing, there will be some random testing. Data obtained by Chalkbeat show testing opt-in rates vary widely by campus.

The proposal also aims to fill in gaps in the district’s contact tracing program, adding school-based staff to contact tracing teams and training and paying them for the additional hours. The addition of campus-based staff to the district’s efforts will help fortify a program that principals, educators, and parents have complained has considerable lags, union leaders said.

“(Educators) know the staff, they know the students, they will have a much better time making connections and sharing it appropriately,” said Jen Johnson, the union’s chief of staff. “We think this is a critical shift.”

Martinez said he looked forward to welcoming all staff Tuesday and bringing students back Wednesday. The district was committed to the safety of students and staff and would work together, Martinez said.

The proposal, Martinez said, would strengthen current safety protocols by expanding testing and contact tracing efforts.

A long, arduous process

On Monday, union leaders described a long, arduous process that stretched six months and started before schools reopened in September.

“This agreement is only a modicum of safety,” said Stacy Davis Gates, the union’s vice president. “This should have never gotten this far. We had to go on a remote action to get more testing in our school communities in the middle of a pandemic.”

At first, it seemed both sides had dug in with irreconcilable positions.

The union demanded a test-to-return program, pointing to districts such as Washington, D.C., which had required negative COVID tests from students and employees returning from winter break amid a steep surge in coronavirus cases.

Union leadership also wanted the district to switch from a weekly student testing program families opted into to one that would require them to opt out if they did not want their children tested — an approach that has resulted in higher participation at other districts in Illinois and beyond. And the union insisted the district should spell out a metric for closing schools when the number of infections among staff and students rose.

The union blasted the district for canceling classes and locking teachers out of their accounts instead of allowing students to learn virtually until the two sides could reach an agreement. Some educators and principals also criticized a district directive to principals to try standing up in-person instruction or enrichment programs Friday if enough staff and teachers showed up.

But Lightfoot and Martinez shot back, arguing that shutting down in-person learning for an entire urban district was unconscionable, especially in light of data showing attendance and grades had dipped disproportionately for the district’s most vulnerable students during last year’s extended remote stretch.

Lightfoot said she was dead-set against testing students without their parents’ explicit permission, which she deemed “repugnant” and “immoral.” And district leaders balked at a metric that would set what they consider too low of a bar for shuttering entire schools or the district, with the inevitable disruption for families and learning.

They accused the union of holding families who need in-person learning hostage and made it clear: Teachers who did not report to work in person would not be paid.

In the face of the impasse, some schools started to welcome students back with a handful of teachers returning to classes and teaching students, an elementary school principal told Chalkbeat.

The teachers feared CTU backlash for returning back to classes, said the principal, who declined to use their name because they aren’t authorized by the district to speak with the media.

On Monday, Martinez said 16% of teachers returned to schools, allowing 159 schools to offer in-person enrichment activities and three schools to provide in-person instruction.

Families caught in standoff

The confusing messaging, late night decision-making, and acrimonious words left Chicago parents anxious and worried.

Chicago parent Megan Hasse expressed frustrations with the walkout, saying the union had “single-handedly made a decision on what is best for our children,” but acknowledged the district wasn’t blameless in the current situation.

Her 9-year-old daughter struggled “massively” during remote learning and now she needed to prioritize her child’s mental health, Hasse said.

Two years into the pandemic, Hasse said there are more resources and knowledge now on how to protect ourselves.

“We are in a different phase of the pandemic, and we need to start acting like it,” Hasse said. “We cannot move to remote every time there is a surge and definitely not on a moment’s notice.”

At a virtual press conference hosted Monday by the nonprofit Kids First, parents serving on the group’s advisory council had sharply different takes on virtual learning and COVID safety. But they were in agreement on one thing: Many parents didn’t feel that their perspectives and needs were reflected in the standoff between the mayor, district and union officials.

Luz Maria Flores, the mom of a student at Seward Elementary, said the district should provide N95 masks to all students and staff and step up testing and outreach to promote vaccination, but the union should acknowledge the hardships remote learning presents for some families.

“We need to unite as a big family,” she said in Spanish. “It’s on all of us to learn how to live in this new reality.”

Cassie Walker Burke contributed reporting.

Chicago teachers union issues new proposal, but mayor says no deal

2022-01-08T20:25:53+00:00

The Chicago Teachers Union is now calling for remote learning starting Wednesday, a return to in-person classes the following week, an opt-out testing program that would randomly test students and staff, and a metric for flipping the entire district to remote learning in its latest proposal to the district.

The union released its offer publicly Saturday in a bid to put pressure on Mayor Lori Lightfoot and district leaders after three days of no classes in the city. But a metric for districtwide remote learning and a testing program that would require families to explicitly opt out are both conditions that Lightfoot has said she cannot accept.

Indeed, the mayor and district CEO Pedro Martinez promptly released a statement suggesting the latest proposal does not cut it.

“Students need to be back in person as soon as possible,” the statement said. “That’s what parents want. That’s what the science supports. We will not relent.”

Union members voted Tuesday to stop reporting to work in person until the district reaches an agreement with the CTU or the omicron surge subsides.

The union is backing off a demand that all students get tested before returning to school buildings, acknowledging the inherent logistical challenges. But it wants employees to get tested next week — and it’s calling for randomly testing 10% of all students and staff weekly after that, what union president Jesse Sharkey described as “a significant compromise” on testing.

The latest proposal preserves a demand that the district as a whole transition to remote learning if conditions laid out in a spring 2021 agreement with the district are met; those include steep increases in the positivity rate over the course of a week and a rate of more than 10% at the end of that week. (Chicago’s positivity rate was 21% on Friday, but Sharkey said it is unlikely the city would see the continued steep growth required to shutter school buildings in the coming weeks.)

The proposal also includes staff and student absence metrics that could trigger a campus closure and transition to remote learning.

“This impasse is hurting students,” Sharkey said at a press conference Saturday afternoon with the Rev. Jesse Jackson. “We are suggesting a way out of the impasse, and we hope (the mayor) takes it up on it.”

Sharkey criticized plans to reopen school buildings for enrichment activities next week, which he described as providing glorified “babysitting.”

Union leaders said under their proposal, members would return next week to hand out computers for remote learning and help get students signed up for testing and vaccinations. Union members would also join new contact tracing teams at each school to address delays in notifying staff and families about positive cases.

Jackson said he aims to help broker an agreement, saying Lightfoot’s stance that in-person learning must be prioritized is “solid,” but teachers’ demands for safer learning conditions are important as well.

Teachers at some schools began releasing letters directly to families over the weekend.

At Lane Tech, the city’s largest high school, teachers reiterated the union’s proposal in a letter: “We realize the actions of CPS have greatly disrupted learning this week and we assure you that all of our efforts right now are aimed at continuing teaching and learning together in a safe manner.”

Denver union calls for more testing, masks, autonomy amid COVID surge

2022-01-08T00:31:03+00:00

“Enough is enough.”

That was the message from the Denver teachers union to the superintendent in a letter Thursday that called for a weeklong districtwide switch to remote learning to allow students and staff exposed to COVID-19 time to isolate and get tested, and if they’re positive, to recover.

But Superintendent Alex Marrero is holding fast to his commitment to keep schools open for in-person learning despite staffing shortages.

Union President Rob Gould said teachers don’t want to close schools either, but “when you have so many staff out, it seems like they’re piecemealing together solutions.” The Denver Classroom Teachers Association’s demand for virtual learning wasn’t as vehement as those in other parts of the country like Chicago, where schools have been closed all week because teachers refuse to report to work.

In its letter, the Denver union said that if a districtwide switch to remote learning isn’t possible, it is requesting a host of other safety measures, including:

Clear thresholds for when individual schools can switch to remote learning based on the percentage of staff who are out sick.
The ability of principals to make remote learning decisions “without unrealistic manipulation from central office administrators.”
Mandatory deployment of central office staff to schools to backfill staff absences.
Provision of KN95 masks for all students and staff.
Rapid antigen testing for sick students and teachers before they return to school.

Denver Public Schools has already put some of the measures in place. On Thursday, Marrero said KN95 masks are available to all staff and students who want them, though some teachers reported shortages at their schools. On Friday, he announced that all central office staff would be deployed to schools at least one day a week starting Thursday.

District data provided to Chalkbeat shows 348 teachers were out sick on Tuesday, the first day back to school after winter break. That’s about 7% of the district’s 4,700 teachers. On Wednesday, that number increased to 411 teachers, or about 9% of the teacher workforce.

But district spokesperson Scott Pribble said those numbers do not represent an uptick from the fall, even though the omicron variant has sent COVID case counts soaring this winter.

“The numbers are in line with our daily averages in the fall,” Pribble said.

Student attendance was about 80% Tuesday and 82% Wednesday, district data shows. That’s down 7% from the same time last year. Most Denver schools were open for in-person learning Tuesday, though the list of schools that had temporarily switched to partial or full remote learning grew throughout the week. As of Friday afternoon, it stood at 25 out of 206 schools.

The district was also missing roughly a third of its bus drivers, causing long delays and making it hard for students to get to school.

Other metro area districts are also struggling with staff shortages but most so far are keeping buildings open. The Adams 14 district, though, announced it will be remote the week of Jan. 10.

In Denver, Marrero has rejected the union’s call for a clear threshold for switching to remote learning, saying Thursday that the district will continue to evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis. A new policy put in place this fall gives him the ultimate say, though Pribble said the district has not turned down any requests by principals whose schools are having staffing shortages.

“It really depends on who is out,” Marrero said. “I’ve often been asked ‘what is the metric?’ and it’s hard to say because we have so many schools and they look different.”

At least one of Denver’s charter school networks, STRIVE Prep, has put in place a threshold: If less than 65% of a school’s staff is present, the school can temporarily switch to remote learning, said CEO Chris Gibbons. Four of STRIVE Prep’s 10 schools were remote the first week of January.

Nearly all Denver Public Schools staff are fully vaccinated, and Marrero said that while COVID transmission can happen anywhere, schools are “safe havens” for students.

“It’s a matter of making sure that we minimize tremendous risk for our educators and students, because it doesn’t seem that this is going away,” he said, emphasizing “tremendous.” He said no new variant “is going to stop us from what we do best, and that’s educating children.”

Alex Nelson, a fourth grade teacher at Bryant-Webster Dual Language School, said that while the number of staff absences this week may be similar to the fall, things feel different. Nelson said he knows more teachers than ever who have COVID. Seven of the nine grade levels at his school experienced quarantines because students came in sick, he said.

As in the fall, Nelson covered for his colleagues who were out sick. On Friday morning, he filled in for the school secretary. Three of the phone calls he answered were from families reporting that their child or another family member had tested positive.

“We’re in a crisis moment,” Nelson said. “I want to step up, everybody else wants to step up for each other, but it starts to wear. … The energy I pick up talking and checking in with colleagues is always like, ‘How bad is it going to get?’”

Gould, the union president, said he’s hearing the same from teachers across the city.

“The thing that stuck with me from the educators I spoke with the last two days is yes, this is a surge that’s happening right now, but this is on top of the last semester,” he said. “This is cumulative trauma that’s been put on our educators over time.”

Heather Abreu, who teaches visual arts at Colfax Elementary, was home sick with COVID when Denver schools reopened after winter break. When the district changed its policy to allow sick staff to return after only five days of isolation rather than the previous 10 days, she got a call from her principal asking, “Does this change your situation?”

The answer was no. She actually felt sicker on the fifth day than earlier in the course of her illness. She was relieved her school found a substitute to cover her entire absence.

Abreu said the challenge right now is not just a highly transmissible variant of COVID, but the cumulative impact of the last two years. Like many teachers, Abreu is also a parent juggling her own children’s disrupted schooling alongside family challenges. She compared teachers’ capacity to that of an overloaded circuit.

“You can plug in so many things and run so many things until something blows,” she said.

Erica Meltzer contributed to this report.

‘Are we going to school?’: What Chicago’s abrupt shutdown looks like for students, parents, educators

2022-01-06T00:39:04+00:00

A rising COVID positivity rate due to the omicron variant. A fast-turnaround teachers union vote to force remote learning. Chicago’s abrupt school shutdown. In mere days, the lives of Chicago educators, students, and families have been upended.

Chicago Public Schools has not yet said what learning will look like over the coming days and weeks, as union officials and district leaders return to the bargaining table to talk proposals and counter proposals. At issue are COVID safety measures and metrics that would govern operations of the nation’s third largest school district for the rest of the school year.

Chalkbeat Chicago and student journalist Norah Hendrickson checked in with several educators, parents, and students about how this moment of uncertainty feels and the potential impact of the suspension. Here’s what they told us.

Cristina Hernandez’s 4-year-old son, who recently tested positive for COVID.

Cristina Hernandez, parent of a preschooler

Hernandez’s 4-year-old son has been at home since winter break because he tested positive for COVID last week. Even if he had tested negative, Hernandez would likely not have sent him to class because he is too young to be vaccinated and she has not been able to find him a high filtration mask recommended by public health officials.

But it didn’t matter since many students didn’t show up to class on Monday, according to what other parents told Hernandez.

Even though school buildings shut down because the Chicago Teachers Union voted to stop in-person teaching for safety reasons, Hernandez is supportive of teachers.

“I believe that like our kids all come first,” she said, “and I believe that the teachers are trying to do what’s best.”

With COVID cases spiking, Hernandez still worries if her child will be safe in classrooms after school starts again. But she knows being in school will be good for him – academically and for his mental health.

— Samantha Smylie

N, parent of a middle school student who attends Bell Elementary

With the Chicago Teachers Union vote coming late last night without little to no time to prepare, the sudden shock of not having school today was upsetting for N.

N — who asked that Chalkbeat not use her full name — said that Chicago Public Schools, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and the teachers union should have come together to create a plan that shows respect for parents and their priorities.

“When it really comes down to it, if it really is a priority, Mayor Lightfoot should have called all the health workers in the city available to us and said ‘We’re gonna test everybody’ on the first day,” said N. “They’ve got resources, but they’re not being utilized.”

While she understands the calls from the teachers for safe schools amid a spike in positive COVID cases, she wished she had 24 hours to prepare. As a working parent, she had to call off her job.

Her son woke up Wednesday morning an hour later than usual, but was upset, saying “It’s horrible to not be able to go to school.” He spent the day working lightly on projects for school and reaching out to friends to see if they were available to hang out.

N and her son got through the first day of the standoff, but they are nervous about what the rest of the week will look like.

— Samantha Smylie

Robert and Nariana Castillo with their two children, Mateo and Mila. Their children both attend Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Magnet.

Nariana Castillo, mother of a kindergartener and first grader at Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Magnet

At the dinner table Sunday evening, Nariana Castillo gently broke some news to her two young children: They would sit out the following day’s return to school after winter break. Castillo and her husband, Robert, had decided COVID was just too rampant in the city. The children, Mila and Mateo, had already missed the last week before the break because Mateo’s class had to quarantine and skipped Christmas and New Year’s celebrations because relatives got sick. (Chalkbeat profiled the Castillo family in a first-day-of-school story.)

Now, in the kitchen of the family’s McKinley Park home, there was disappointment and apprehension. Mila, Castillo’s first grader, had especially relished in-person school. Then, she had an idea: They could create a schedule for school at home and post it on the fridge, restoring some of the school day’s structure.

They did just that. On Monday morning, Mila donned a favorite dress and was ready for school with her mother and brother by 7 a.m. They have since watched YouTube videos about deep-sea creatures, painted, built Lego structures, worked out virtually with Castillo’s friends, and conducted a kinetic fan science experiment.

The district has not said how many students were absent this week; a principals group said it believes as many as a third were, based on a survey of school leaders on 225 campuses.

Castillo says she was planning to reassess her decision to keep her kids home before next week — when news came that school once again had come to a halt amid a stalemate over COVID protocols between the district and its teachers union. She says she sympathizes with educators’ safety concerns. A stay-at-home mom, she also feels for parent friends who don’t have the option of remaining home with their children.

Now that classes are canceled, her children are no longer racking up unexcused absences. But a sense of uncertainty has deepened.

Castillo says she hopes the district will return to virtual learning — but for only a short while.

“I don’t think anyone is a huge fan of remote — students, parents, teachers,” she said. “It’s so frustrating as a parent because you just know CPS and CTU are not going to see eye to eye.”

— Mila Koumpilova

Anika Matthews, mother of a fifth grader at National Teacher Academy

Anika Matthews started awake Wednesday when she got a robocall from Chicago Public Schools, with the news she had anxiously awaited the previous night before giving up and going to bed. There would be no classes that day.

Mathews got out of bed and went to talk with her daughter, Paninah.

“Are we going to school?” the girl asked as soon as she saw her mom. “Are we doing remote?”

Matthews told her that they would once again brush up a routine they had perfected during a largely virtual last school year and a November spent almost entirely in quarantine: Paninah would spend the day in the office of her mother, an attorney.

The girl has been thrilled to be reunited with all her classmates this past fall — but it has been a challenging run for the family. Substitute teachers have stepped in repeatedly, and once, when no sub could be found, a support staffer covered the classroom. Then, November brought back-to-back quarantines after a student and an educator tested positive.

“The whole semester has been very, very stressful,” Matthews said. “Our school has done the best they can.”

Matthews said Paninah’s teachers sent materials for remote learning home with students Tuesday, and she is grateful her daughter is prepared. After a Wednesday sharing an office with a bored and restless youngster, Matthews hopes virtual learning will return Thursday — followed by a quick agreement between the district and its teachers union.

But given the unpredictability of the virus and the district’s staffing crunch, she is bracing for a rough winter and spring.

— Mila Koumpilova

Megan Camacho is a senior at Lane Tech College Prep High School.

Megan Camacho, high school senior at Lane Tech College Prep High School

When she heard schools were going to shut down again, Megan Camacho realized she was potentially poised to spend more of her high school career in remote learning flux than in class — a depressing prospect. Fall’s reopening had given her the opportunity to salvage her senior year and finish out with her peers. Now, that seemed to be in jeopardy.

Camacho has mixed feelings about the shutdown. She thinks the crowded hallways in her school — the largest in the state, with 4,400 students — present risks to students. A temporary shift to virtual learning seems reasonable as COVID rates rise due to the omicron variant, but she’s worried about a remote period stretching past the eight day timeline the union has laid out. (The union resolution asked members to vote to stay remote until Jan. 18, but the city has not yet agreed to that.)

She is working on her college essays and eager for teacher feedback – much easier in person, she says.

“In a remote situation, having to ask a teacher a question can be hard. Some days you are feeling antisocial or anxious or you don’t want to interrupt their spiel,” she said. “Even asking after class, we have a tight virtual passing period of five minutes where you can run to the bathroom or get water. It’s hard to talk to a teacher online.”

One bright spot is her campus newspaper.

Since things have shifted online before, the editors have figured out how to communicate remotely.

“Obviously we lose the classroom experience of pitching and scheduling and laying out the paper,” she said — but there’s no shortage of stories to write at the moment. “We’re very focused on this issue.”

— Cassie Walker Burke

Ajibola Junaid is a senior at Wendall Phillips High School.

Ajibola Junaid, high school senior at Wendell Phillips High School

Ajibola Junaid sat in her Englewood home Wednesday with her school closed and her paid internship at the University of Chicago Trauma Center paused because of rising COVID rates. She has witnessed the wrath of COVID firsthand at the trauma center.

She says she’s glad the city’s teachers union has pushed to temporarily close school buildings.

“We don’t know what people do after school or where they go,” she said.

But remote learning has proven difficult in the past, and the lockout of teachers from their accounts feels like it’s punishing students.

“I need my teachers to send my transcripts and letters of recommendation to schools,” she said. “Applications are closing soon. I honestly don’t know what to do. Communications from home with teachers are extremely difficult.”

One safety issue weighing on Junaid’s mind is the lack of enforcement over social distancing and masking rules at her school. Since an outsider recently snuck past the front desk and started a fight with a student, students have been required to leave their hooded sweatshirts in the auditorium each morning. The auditorium gets crowded, and it’s hard to social distance.

“The school needs to enforce more rules and space out students,” she said.

She’d like to see remote learning continue until the omicron spread slows. She’d also like her school to figure out ways to address students’ mental health needs virtually.

“Last year all the school cared about was our academics,” she said, “but there are so many students who have issues going on with them.”

— Cassie Walker Burke

Maggie Clark is a junior at Jones College Prep.

Maggie Clark, high school junior at Jones College Prep

During winter break, high school junior Maggie Clark contracted COVID and recovered, so she was ready to reunite with friends. She was disheartened to see that school had been canceled on Wednesday and remote learning was a possibility.

“I was upset that we weren’t able to go to school because today was a perfect opportunity for us to go,” said Clark. “I feel like there was no reason why we had to stay home.”

She doesn’t think online learning is sustainable in the long run.

“It will definitely impact students’ mental health,” Clark said. “It’s very hard for students to be engaged in school without any social interaction with teachers or other students.”

On Wednesday, she was using the cancellation to spend time with friends and revise an English essay. But every few minutes, she went online and to Twitter to keep up with the latest news about what school will look like in the coming days.

“I would like to see more information being available to parents and students because I feel like they’re the people being most affected by this issue,” said Clark.

As decisions get made, she hopes students are on the forefront of the teachers’ union mind.

“I feel that CTU isn’t taking an interest in what the parents and students need,” Clark said. “They’re putting the needs or feelings of teachers before the students or parents and that’s unacceptable.”

— Norah Hendrickson

Marley Olivera, 8th Grade Language Arts and Social Science teacher at Melville Fuller School of Excellence

Marley Olivera’s eighth grade students were supposed to spend this week learning about heroes – comparing the fictional Black Panther of Marvel Comics with real-life civil rights icons such as John Lewis and Fred Hampton.

Instead, on Wednesday morning, Olivera, who teaches language arts and social science, tried to log onto Google Classroom only to find herself locked out. She tried her Chicago Public Schools email. Locked out. Other district learning apps. Locked out.

The Melville Fuller School of Excellence teacher had no way to contact her students. No way to make sure they had work to do. No way to check if they were safe or shaken by the standoff between the Chicago Teachers Union and the school district.

So, Olivera snuck into her third floor classroom, grabbed papers and packets and Post-it notes – anything that might help her students navigate the next few days without classes – and dropped off the materials at the school’s front desk. That way, she hopes, any student who needs the supplies can get them.

Even before she and other union members voted to stop in-person teaching over the district’s COVID protocols, Olivera says, school was far from normal.

The week before winter break, her classes were quarantined after COVID exposure.

This week, barely a handful of students had come to school. In one class, only eight of 24 made it in – the rest stayed home because they were sick or quarantined or because fearful parents chose not to send them.

The students who showed up were nervous about contracting COVID, and spent a good chunk of time wiping down desks and washing their hands. Olivera tried to bolster their spirits, but she also worried.

She hopes the standoff ends quickly and the district agrees to better contact tracing, wider testing, and remote learning for two weeks, until the latest COVID surge subsides.

“It is true that in-person learning is the best-case scenario,” said Olivera, an eight-year teaching veteran. “But, it’s also true that, right now, school may not be the safest for all parties involved.”

– Mónica Rhor

Juanita Nave is a math teacher at South Shore International High School.

Juanita Nave, math teacher at South Shore International High School

Juanita Nave kept willing a miracle to happen. She kept hoping that somehow Chicago Public Schools leaders and the teachers union could agree on COVID protocols.

The math teacher at South Shore International High School willed it as she prepared to return to school after winter break, while she checked emails from her students, making sure they were on track with an extra credit assignment. She willed it as she packed the KN95 mask a colleague had given her.

She willed it even as she thought of the COVID surge swirling around her, leaving many of the desks in her classroom empty as students got sick or were quarantined, flooding her inbox with worried notes from parents, and filling the 55-year-old with unease because of the Type 1 diabetes that puts her at high risk.

Nave pulled for a miracle right up until she watched Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez at a livestreamed press conference on Tuesday night, just hours before the teachers union vote.

Lightfoot seemed so angry, thought Nave, so lacking in empathy for the city’s teachers. Nave knew then that no miracle was coming.

“She’s trying to stick it to us again and doesn’t care about us or the children,” Nave said Wednesday, as the 29-year educator sank into a mix of relief, concern, and frustration.

With COVID “popping up” all around her, Nave had worried about spending six hours in a classroom with more than two dozen students, with lax mask-wearing and no room to social distance. She wants the district to agree to flip to remote learning for two weeks, or until COVID case numbers subside.

But she is also worried about her students, whom she is now unable to reach because CPS teachers have been locked out of district accounts.

That special project researching mathematicians of color could boost their grades. But, until the standoff ends or teachers are allowed to access remote learning tools, she can’t help them.

“They are on their own,” Nave said. “They are being cut off from us.”

– Mónica Rhor

COVID cases among NYC students and school staff spiked over winter break

2022-01-05T16:44:11+00:00

This story has been updated to reflect new coronavirus case data reported by the education department on Wednesday.

Over 38,000 teachers and students in New York City public schools have reported positive COVID tests since the Dec. 24 start of winter recess, representing more virus cases than the entire rest of the school year combined, according to updated figures the education department released Wednesday.

In the first three months of the school year, through Dec. 23, nearly 23,000 staff and students tested positive.

The figures come with some caveats. The education department recently started including at-home rapid tests in their count of positive cases, likely inflating the most recent figures. City officials are no longer independently confirming all positive tests, relying instead on self-reporting by schools when a family or staff member informs them of a positive test result.

And the tally of cases during the winter break reflect when the cases were reported to the city and included some earlier positive results from before the break, officials said.

Still, there is little question that cases among students and staff are rising amid a record-breaking surge of coronavirus cases across the city and country, fueled by the more-contagious omicron variant.

The total number of positive cases since the first day of school is 61,453, with over 40,000 students and 21,000 staff testing positive, according to city data as of Jan. 4, out of over 1 million students and staff. (The figures include charter schools.)

Nearly 27,000 positive cases were reported on Monday and Tuesday alone, but education department officials stressed that most of those were the result of positive tests that occurred over the winter break but were not reported until schools reopened.

Still, the increase in cases means that schools and families are likely to face significant disruptions in the coming weeks in terms of attendance and staff shortages. Some schools have already struggled to field enough teachers to staff classes.

On Tuesday, 28% of the city’s public school students, or more than 260,000 children, were absent — five percentage points better than Monday. Even if school buildings remain open, those absences can have a big effect, as educators struggle to determine what material to teach while so many students are not in school.

Dr. Juan Tapia, a pediatrician in Washington Heights and a member of the nonprofit physicians network SOMOS, said increases in infections are “bound to occur” because of the contagiousness of the omicron variant.

All public school staff are required to be vaccinated, but students are not — and nearly 44% of city residents between the ages of 5 and 17 are unvaccinated, city data show. That may be fueling an increase in hospitalizations among children, but experts have also emphasized that omicron does not appear to cause more severe cases among kids and appears to be milder among those who are fully vaccinated.

The cases appear to be “less severe, and the worst outcomes are not rising at the same level as the new cases,” Tapia said.

Beginning Monday, officials tweaked certain safety rules to help counteract the surge of cases.

The city has increased the number of students subject to random testing, doubling the number of students who are eligible and including students regardless of vaccination status. Previously, 10% of unvaccinated students who consented were subject to testing. The program still only tests students who have consented, and roughly 64% of the city’s students have not done so.

The city is also instituting a “test-to-stay” policy, which allows classmates of someone who tests positive to remain in school instead of issuing wider quarantine orders, as long as they test negative twice over five days and remain symptom-free. The city has distributed 2.1 million at-home tests for the program so far, officials said. School staff should also be given two at-home tests per week in January even if they’re not feeling sick.

Susan Hassig, assistant professor of epidemiology at Tulane University, generally applauded the changes in safety protocols but said city officials should ensure that staff can also get tested at school, on top of the at-home test kits they’re receiving. (Staff can now be tested at school if they consent, but only if the testing company has the capacity.) The plan to provide at-home tests to those exposed to COVID in the classroom is “going to make a big difference,” so long as the results are faithfully reported, Hassig said.

Some educators remain skeptical that the changes are enough to protect school communities. At two co-located middle schools in Brooklyn — Sunset Park Prep and Charles Dewey — most educators called out sick on Tuesday.

The teachers union chapter leader at Charles Dewey said it was largely in protest of what many educators in the building viewed as lax safety rules. That teacher and one other from the building said they want the city to make rapid at-home testing more widely available for all students and staff, regardless of whether they have symptoms or are exposed to the virus. They also want schools to provide high-quality masks to students, not just teachers.

Asked about the consequences of missed instruction caused by the sickout, one of the teachers said all those who called out sick had posted work online for students to access. Another said it was essential to draw attention to safety issues.

“In order to get change of any sort you have to disrupt the current system, that’s the only way people are heard,” the chapter leader said. The teachers said they plan to return on Wednesday.

An administrator on the campus who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal said more than 80% of educators called out. The staff crunch forced the school to collapse classrooms, putting up to 35 students in a room with minimal social distancing. The education department sent dozens of central staffers to the building, but only a handful had teaching licenses, meaning they could not cover many classes, the administrator said.

Mark Cannizzaro, head of the union that represents principals and other school administrators, visited the campus on Tuesday.

“Our biggest concern safety-wise is staffing more so than anything else,” he said.

Katie O’Hanlon, an education department spokesperson, emphasized that some staff who called out sick were not teachers and the replacement staff were able to help with student arrival and administrative work, in addition to some classroom coverage.

“We quickly deploy qualified substitutes or central staff when needed to ensure our schools remain open and all students can continue to get the in-person supports that are critical for their well-being and cannot be replicated outside the classroom,” O’Hanlon said in a statement.

The department also pledged to more quickly release figures about how many students and staff report positive coronavirus cases. The city previously publicly posted that information each evening, but had not updated its website since Dec. 30. The information will once again be publicly released online each day starting Wednesday, officials said.

Families also briefly stopped getting emails from the Situation Room about positive cases. Those daily updates about the number of cases in each school would resume this week, officials said.

“Under our Stay Safe, Stay Open plan, we reopened our schools by ramping up testing sites, making 1.5 million rapid test kits available to students and staff, and encouraging all our community members to get tested over break to identify cases,” said Nathaniel Styer, an education department spokesperson. “We will not compromise on our safety measures nor our drive to safely keep schools open.”

Christina Veiga and Reema Amin contributed.

Chicago teachers move forward with key vote as district warns of canceled classes

2022-01-05T00:46:40+00:00

Members of Chicago’s teachers union were voting Tuesday night on whether to halt in-person learning after district and union officials could not reach agreement on terms for operating schools as the omicron variant sent COVID cases skyrocketing.

At a news conference earlier Tuesday, Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said the district would agree to additional COVID safety measures, including school-level metrics that would determine when entire campuses close.

The schools chief, however, stopped short of agreeing to at least three key components of the union’s demands: negative PCR tests for all staff, students, and volunteers as well as 300 school-based testing sites; a citywide metric that would pause in-person learning across all campuses; and telework accommodations for staff with medical risks.

In a letter to families Tuesday evening, Martinez said that the district would cancel classes Wednesday for students if educators voted to not report to work the next day.

“If classes are canceled tomorrow,” the letter said, “students should not report to the buildings for in-person learning; remote instruction will not be available either. However, school buildings will be open during regular hours for administrators and staff who are expected to report. Please note that after-school activities, athletics, and any other scheduled events will be canceled as well.”

The union’s House of Delegates voted overwhelmingly to forward to its full membership a measure that would effectively shutter school buildings starting Wednesday until Jan. 18 — unless an agreement is reached. Martinez previously said that school buildings would be open.

“All staff will be welcome to come to school,” he said. “I am not going to let parents down.”

Martinez did not immediately say whether remote learning would commence should the in-person work stoppage extend past a day or whether teachers would be locked out of virtual classrooms moving forward.

The district’s latest proposal, which also includes the immediate distribution of 200,000 KN95 masks to staff to “reduce anxiety” and reactivation of health screeners at the door for students at some schools, is a last-minute effort to avoid a vote that would impact 330,000 students.

Martinez made a public plea Tuesday to keep schools open, saying the evidence shows schools are safe. He said the district is “committed” to reaching an agreement.

“I’ve been to the schools. Our children are wearing masks. They want to be there; they want to be there in person,” said Martinez, who said he visited six schools Monday and remarked that some had low attendance since families are afraid, while others appeared full.

Chicago Public Schools could not provide a student attendance figure for Monday. A spokeswoman said that 82% of teachers reported for work at classrooms on Monday, the first day back after winter break.

Martinez, who started the job in late September, is trying to reassure parents that schools are safe and to de-escalate tensions with a teachers union ready for action. Unable to get district leadership to agree to a slate of safety measures and to sign a reopening agreement it has pushed for since last summer, the union has been galvanized by climbing COVID rates and staff shortages and is planning a meeting of its House of Delegates later Tuesday afternoon.

Unless Martinez’s administration can speed up negotiations and come closer to an agreement that includes thresholds for when to close schools should COVID cases rise, the delegates will weigh a resolution calling to pause in-person learning. That resolution, if passed, would then go to the rank-and-file to ultimately decide in a fast-turnaround evening vote.

The resolution calls for the in-person work stoppage to start as soon as Wednesday, leaving parents and families with little notice.

During the 2019 teachers strike, when educators voted on a work stoppage, the district reopened schools with limited staffing by administrators and central office personnel for families that needed child care. But most families kept their children home.

Martinez said Tuesday “it’s not practical” for the union to call a citywide in-person work stoppage and that he had met with union leadership Monday in an effort to reach an agreement. He said parents would be notified of a plan later in the day and that school Wednesday likely would be impacted.

Among the additional safety measures proposed is a reactivation of online health screeners — but that would be up to school discretion in the district’s latest plan. The district previously required parents to complete health screeners each day when it reopened schools last spring, but stopped using them this fall. Some educators complained that they caused logistical issues in the morning since not all parents complete them.

The teachers’ threat of an all-remote vote comes as Chicago reports its highest daily case rate since the start of the pandemic, and as the city’s positivity rate reaches heights that mirror the first surge in 2019 — a scenario playing out in cities across the country. Numbers released Tuesday by the Chicago Department of Public Health put the city’s test positivity at 23.6%, up from 17% last Friday.

More children have tested positive for COVID as the city’s positivity climbs, Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s health commissioner, said Tuesday. She said the rising rates were fueled by holiday gatherings, not school reopening.

“Child COVID hospitalizations remain very rare,” at about seven per day for children, said Arwady, with most hospitalizations still driven by unvaccinated adults. She said Tuesday that, since Thanksgiving, no vaccinated children between the ages of 5 and 11 have been hospitalized in Chicago and that nearly half of the child hospitalizations were unvaccinated 12- to 17-year-olds.

The coronavirus was behaving like the flu among children and Arwady remained “comfortable” keeping kids in schools.

The city has struggled to boost its childhood vaccination rates, though Chicago’s rates are higher than the national average. Currently, 34 % of 5- to 11-year-olds have at least one dose and 62% of 12- to 17-year-olds have completed the series.

Arwady said Tuesday that she’s worried what will happen to children should schools shutter in-person learning. “I understand that people are scared, but I want to reassure you, especially if your child is vaccinated, this is behaving like the flu, and we don’t close school districts for extended periods of time for the flu.”

Under the district’s Tuesday proposal, any school would transition fully to remote learning if 40% or more of its classroom teachers are absent due to COVID-19 for two consecutive days or if a schoolwide teacher absence rate remains at or above 30 %.

Schools could go remote if 50 % of elementary school classrooms have more than 50% of students isolated or in quarantine. It would take more than 50 % of the total student population to shift a high school.

Chicago families brace for uncertainty as teachers’ union plans all-remote vote

2022-01-03T20:02:14+00:00

Chicago Public Schools reopened its doors Monday amid the city’s steepest COVID-19 surge but the question of whether the district can keep school buildings open loomed large.

The Chicago Teachers Union is set to vote Tuesday on whether its members would refuse to report to campuses in-person until certain safety conditions are met, sparking yet another period of uncertainty for parents and students.

If teachers vote to refuse to report to work in-person and instead teach remotely as they did one year ago last January, it could force schools to scramble to equip the district’s 330,000 students with devices and sufficient Internet service as soon as Wednesday.

The Illinois state board of education has yet to weigh in on the matter. This school year started with slim options for districts to go remote, but the state has clarified that local school boards can adopt an e-learning plan or extend the school year for missed days.

A Chicago Public Schools spokesperson said in a statement Monday afternoon that the district had met with Chicago Teachers Union leadership in the past week and would “continue to keep the lines of communication open.”

“We have reiterated that a case-by-case, school-by-school approach is the best way to address COVID-19 concerns in schools,” the statement said.

In Chicago, parents said they felt in flux and worried, some because of the rising positivity rate and others because of the potential for remote learning, which could again upend their lives and their children’s learning.

Nolberto Casas arrived at his daughter’s pre-K center Monday morning to find the doors locked and several other parents and children standing there bewildered. He said he did not see a notice from the pre-K center, which is run by a large Chicago nonprofit that receives public funding. (The center, which is run by Chicago Commons, posted on social media that it closed due to rising COVID cases, limited testing availability, and delayed results and hoped to resume services Tuesday.)

“I feel abandoned,” said Casas, who has an older child in first grade at Ruiz Elementary in the Pilsen neighborhood. Casas, who has helped organize parents to advocate for in-person learning, said he’s worried that his son will fall further behind academically if schools go virtual again.

He’s also concerned his wife will have to quit her job as a security guard to stay home with the children should virtual learning extend more than a few days. “Our children are 4 and 6,” he said. “A parent has to be home full-time.”

Cortney Ritsema, meanwhile, kept her three children home Monday. “They were supposed to return in person learning today but I kept them because, frankly, I don’t feel safe with the mitigations in place,” said Ritsema, who earlier in the year helped organize a “sick out” in hopes of pressuring the district to extend remote options for students.

In an email to parents Sunday night, Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez acknowledged the anxiety of the moment but tried to reassure families that the district was committed to in-person learning and was doubling down on safety precautions, from universal masking to in-school testing to social distancing “when possible.”

“Research has shown that with the extraordinary protections we’ve put in place, school is one of the safest places your children can be during the pandemic,” Martinez wrote.

Asked Monday how leaders planned to respond to the union vote and the potential outcome of widespread remote learning, the district expressed concerns about the “health and safety” of the school communities should students be sent home. Mass school closures, the statement said, could fuel community spread.

Safety precautions a point of concern

The omicron variant, surging positivity rates, and breakthrough COVID infections have forced school districts across the country to make tough choices to start 2022. New York City’s schools — the nation’s largest school district — opened Monday with increased testing, while other districts, from Newark, New Jersey to Ann Arbor, Michigan, opted to start remotely.

While some smaller, suburban Illinois school districts, such as Niles Township High School District 219, shifted abruptly to a remote January start, nine out of Illinois’ 10 largest school districts reopened classrooms for in-person learning on Monday. Only Algonquin-based Community Unit School District 300 said it was canceling class for the day to see how the omicron variant has impacted staffing.

In Peoria, superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat and the district’s board of education decided to extend winter break until next week after a local surge in coronavirus cases. The district, which said it will extend the school year to make up for missed days, is offering to-go meals for lunch this week and sporting events for high school students will continue.

In Chicago, teachers union officials argued that the city needed to require negative tests of all students to return — or pause in-person learning for two weeks until more safety measures are in place and officials can agree on a metric for when to suspend in-person learning.

In making its case, the union has consistently pointed out flaws in the in-school testing program Chicago rolled out belatedly last fall, delays in contact tracing reported at several campuses before winter break, and persistent staffing shortages that have forced schools to combine classes or draft special education assistants and security guards into supervisory roles.

But a climbing city positivity rate and a botched winter break testing scenario have prompted the union to step up its action. Union officials said Monday that the district’s execution of a winter testing program was “incompetent.”

According to district data, after schools sent home 150,000 tests to students in high COVID transmission neighborhoods before winter break, only 35,779 completed tests were logged between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1. Of those, 1,963, or 18%, were positive — in line with the city’s positivity rate last week — and a staggering 24,986, or nearly 70%, were labeled “inconclusive.”

“I am so pissed off that we have to continuously fight for the basic necessities, the basic mitigations,” said Stacy Davis Gates, the teachers union vice president, on Monday outside of Park Manor Elementary School on the city’s South Side.

Keyonna Payton, a teacher who chairs Park Manor’s safety committee, said she worked alongside colleagues during the winter break to ensure students, most of whom were in quarantine when the kits were handed out, had access to testing before the return to school. She was disheartened to see those invalid test results.

Payton urged district officials to listen to the school’s safety committees to hear what they needed amid the latest surge.

“We are asking for safety,” Payton said. “We are fighting for the safety of our students.”

Parent Danelda Archer said she complied with the district’s testing precautions and got her two children tested but the results were ultimately inconclusive.

“How can I allow my children to come back and they don’t even have a negative or positive result?” Archer said. “That was supposed to be the end result to ensure they were safe going back into the building.”

Amid ongoing safety concerns, some Park Manor teachers planned on teaching remotely starting Monday. They said Monday they had received a letter from the school board threatening a loss of pay. When asked about the letter, the district did not respond.

Other Park Manor parents said Monday they would not bring their children to schools amid the latest surge, saying that the district’s testing and mitigation strategies were not sufficient to protect their children. The school had 10 staff members, including the principal, test positive in the days leading up to winter break, teachers and union representatives said.

Staffing shortages add to the pressure

Tuesday’s planned union vote also left some educators feeling conflicted.

One teacher at a high school on Chicago’s West Side said she wasn’t sure whether she would vote to teach from home. The educator, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, is a parent of two elementary-aged children, and she said supervising their remote learning while teaching high schoolers is a “nightmare.”

Plus, she added, “kids need to be in school” for academic and social reasons. A year of remote learning had shown her that.

Still, she said multiple absences of staff at her school Monday signal a rocky week ahead, whether or not teachers ultimately choose en masse to report to campuses.

In an attempt to head off staffing shortages that forced some campuses to combine classes before winter break, Chicago Public Schools also said it was offering a new $1,000 incentive for substitutes who work more than 15 days a month in January. The district last fall began offering substitutes a $420 incentive for months in which they work more than 12 days.

Chicago’s schools chief has also said he’d like to limit the number of students and staff in quarantine. In early December, Chicago Public Schools introduced a small test-to-stay pilot, which offered more regimented testing at one school. As of winter break, the pilot was confined to one school.

The latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduces the recommended isolation period for anyone testing positive for COVID to five days if they are asymptomatic or if symptoms are resolving, followed by five days of strict mask use. However, the Illinois Department of Public Health has said that schools should continue to use a 10-day quarantine metric for student or staff members who test positive for COVID-19.

Samantha Smylie contributed reporting.

What we’re watching on the Chicago education beat in 2022

2022-01-03T12:00:00+00:00

COVID safety. Efforts to recover lost reading and math skills. Bringing students back into the fold. Another unusual school year — and another arrival of an unpredictable COVID variant — continues to force district leaders, educators, and families to adapt.

Here are some of the stories we’ll be closely watching in 2022. As always, your questions, observations, and on-the-ground experiences are critical to this work. Share with us on social media or via chicago.tips@chalkbeat.org.

The struggle to keep schools open in another COVID surge.

The COVID-19 battlefront has left educators weary as new variants present fresh challenges. In early December, as the numbers of students in quarantine rose, Chicago Public Schools introduced a small test-to-stay pilot, which offered more regimented testing with a mission to curb the number of students being quarantined. As of winter break, the pilot was confined to one school and the majority of campuses reported fewer than 10% of students opted-in for surveillance testing — a concern as the omicron variant causes a winter surge.

We’ll be watching to see how vigilantly district officials try to boost those testing sign-up rates — particularly in the neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID — and whether the test-to-stay program effectively keeps more children in school safely.

We’ll also be closely tracking the January reopening — and whether Chicago schools can stay open or will revert to remote learning under pressure from the district’s teachers. Already, some Illinois districts, such as Peoria Public Schools, have delayed their return date by a week, and multiple area universities, including DePaul and Northwestern, have opted to kick off January remotely. Chicago Public Schools says it is sticking with an in-person reopening, but a potential midweek vote from the teachers union over staying in classrooms or switching to remote could force the district’s hand.

New approaches to chronic absenteeism and finding missing children.

Illinois’ chronic absenteeism rates jumped from 16.5% in 2019 to 21.2% in 2021 — and districts across the state say the problem persisted this fall. The state wants to invest more in truancy officers. School districts, meanwhile, are experimenting with such approaches as “attendance teams” that monitor attendance reports and try to flag problems early. What can districts learn from such efforts and will they pay off?

Making up for lost learning and accounting for COVID spending.

In Chicago, school district leaders are banking on a two-year, $525 million Moving Forward Together plan to address what they call “unfinished learning.” With federal COVID relief dollars, schools are rolling out a slew of academic and mental health interventions as part of that initiative, from math tutoring to extra support for struggling readers. The school board has clamored for a way to measure whether these interventions are working. Pedro Martinez, who took over as district CEO in late September, promised to report back with baseline data and more recent evidence of progress.

Meanwhile, some parents and insiders are calling for more transparent accounting of COVID stimulus money — and want to see more flexible dollars to schools. (Click here to see a school-by-school breakdown.)

Rampant delays in special education services.

Data obtained by Chalkbeat last summer showed students with disabilities faced disruptions in services throughout the coronavirus pandemic. In December, during a monthly meeting with parents of students with disabilities, Martinez said he would prioritize staffing, transportation, and access to services.

With delays in bus transit still a reality for more than 1,000 students and staffing shortages acutely impacting special education programs on some campuses, the question remains what issues he will tackle first and when.

Keeping students safe from gun violence.

2021 came to a close in Chicago with more than 800 homicides — that tally is higher than any other year since 1996 — and violence landed on the doorstep of some city schools, adding to the burden of an already weighty pandemic recovery. In response, Chicago Public Schools is using some federal stimulus funds to step up services for student mental health.

One promising approach is an expansion of school-based “care teams” that serve as the front line response to trauma at each school. Students such as Kaitlyn Stewart, a sophomore at Englewood STEM, speak poignantly about the need — and toll of gun violence on the city’s young. “We want to be in a world full of fun, not a world where we have to watch our back everywhere we go,” Stewart said this fall at a CTU press event outside her school. “We don’t want to be in a world where we live in fear all around us.”

Connecting more children under 5 with high-quality child care and preschool.

There’s an active conversation in Illinois about how to rebuild the state’s early education system — and boost access for young children affordably without bankrupting their parents. Among recent developments are a finance commission roadmap, a new central agency to oversee services for children under 5, and legislative momentum to confront chronic workforce issues. What’s holding Illinois back, advocates say, is the fraction of funding it spends on early education compared to K-12.

2021 seemed like the year that could change, with the advent of the Build Back Better plan, which would steer an estimated $6 billion into Illinois’ early ed system. That bill is now in jeopardy but could still come before the U.S. Senate in January.

Stabilizing Illinois schools in the long term.

Illinois schools have received more than $7 billion from the federal government in emergency relief from COVID — and the third round of funding is very flexible in terms of how it can be spent. But that money is not a long-term fix for school districts that want to hire staff or keep programs once it runs out.

It’s budget season, and how much Illinois appropriates for its school funding formula in the upcoming months will be something to watch. The state school board has recommended an increase of $350 million (that’s the base minimum recommended by a bipartisan agreement from 2017) but many policymakers and district leaders argue the state needs to do more to make up for long-standing gaps faced by property-poor districts.

The experiences of students.

This school year, Chalkbeat is piloting a Student Voices writing fellowship in three of our bureaus: Chicago, Newark, and Philadelphia. High school students in these communities will be writing First Person essays about their lives and journeys through public school. Chicago’s first installment from Wendell Phillips High School senior Ajibola Elizabeth Junaid poignantly describes what life is like as a new arrival in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood from Nigeria and the perils and promises of the American dream. Watch out for more from Junaid and our other fellows in 2022 as well as other stories that center the student experience.

As COVID cases soar, Philly schools plan for tentative reopening after break

2021-12-23T20:16:42+00:00

Philadelphia schools plan to open in person on Jan. 4 after the winter break, although both district and city health officials caution that it is an “evolving” situation in the face of a spike in COVID cases.

“We must all be flexible and understanding that plans can change quickly,” said a letter from Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, the city’s health commissioner.

In a holiday message to staff and families, Superintendent William Hite said the plan is to open in person as scheduled, while emphasizing that if COVID-19 cases surge over the break, the district could receive new guidance from the city’s health department.

Given the increase in cases, Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said it would be “irresponsible for the district not to consider a return to virtual learning...until such time as they can effectively, and with fidelity, solidify their mitigation measures.”

He also raised questions about whether there is adequate enforcement of COVID mitigation measures in all schools. He said on Wednesday he received reports of more than 100 buildings with COVID cases “from one day.” (Emphasis is his.)

“Many buildings reported double digit cases, and dozens have closed or ‘paused,’” he said in a statement.

The health department ultimately makes the decision on whether to close schools for two weeks or to “pause” them for 48 hours while it conducts an investigation of reported COVID cases. The investigation determines whether a full 10-day quarantine is warranted based on the size of the school, the location of the cases, and other circumstances, said health department spokesperson James Garrow.

Right now, 19 district schools are under 10-day quarantine, with more than half of them put in that status since Tuesday, Garrow said.

“We are seeing an extremely rapid rise in new cases of COVID through the city,” said Garrow, which he said mirrors what is happening in other cities and is likely driven by the omicron variant.

According to the mayor’s office, as of Dec. 20, Philadelphia averaged 641 new cases per day over the prior two weeks, with a positivity rate of 7.2%. That is a jump from the week before, when the daily average was 492 new cases a day and a positivity rate of 5%.

At the same time, Garrow said, the department continues to support the continuation of in-person school for as long as possible.

“We still believe that the risk of other health and mental health consequences is so great to these children that, provided schools can do all the [mitigation] protocols we need, we believe it is still safe to go into schools,” Garrow said.

Jordan said that the union also supports the “safe” reopening of schools, but is concerned about mask-wearing, lack of accurate data, inadequate contact tracing, virus testing, and a nursing shortage. The school district’s website lists 13 nursing vacancies. He also said the district “continues to punt” on conducting widespread vaccine clinics, although it is hosting six testing sites.

“If the district cannot implement these urgently needed measures, then I do not see another option than a return to virtual learning until such time as these measures are firmly in place,”he said in a statement. “I am hearing from our members, and we are seeing first-hand, terribly inconsistent implementation of agreed upon protocols.”

Jordan said he sent a letter to Hite outlining these issues.

The district issued a response to Jordan’s statement, saying that PFT members should report to officials any “specific instance of noncompliance...so that we can immediately address the issue. To generally assert that students and staff are not adhering to the mask mandate is not useful nor does it help with us accomplishing our shared goal of keeping schools...safe.”

The statement said: “For mitigation strategies to be successful, we all must do our part to implement them with fidelity.”

Garrow said that based on the data it has, the health department believes that schools are not a major source of spread.

“In-school spread is a minority of what we’re seeing,” Garrow said. The department believes that the majority of cases among students results from their being “exposed to it at home or out in the community.”

The department can close a classroom, a grade, or a whole school. A classroom closure is triggered if there are three or more cases. If two classes in a grade are closed, or if there are six or more cases in a grade, the department quarantines the entire grade. A school is closed if at least 3% of the population has tested positive or three or more grades have been paused.

Where there are isolated cases, those identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive can continue with in-person learning if they are vaccinated, Garrow said. Close contacts who are not fully vaccinated must stay out of the building for 10 days.

“The best way to ensure that your children can continue with in-person learning is to get them vaccinated,” he said.

The district’s statement said that, as of Dec. 18, 1.9% of 139,212 students and staff tested positive, but that covers the period since August. All staff are tested weekly if vaccinated, and twice a week if not vaccinated. District officials say 85% of staff is vaccinated.

Students are tested if they are symptomatic or if they participate in performing arts. Teachers and school staff are required to be vaccinated, unless they have a medical or religious exemption. Students are not required to be vaccinated, except for athletes.

Among students ages 5-11, who only became eligible for vaccination in November, 22.4% have received at least one vaccine dose, according to the health department. Most of the schools that have closed are elementary schools.

Among all city adults, 76.6% are fully vaccinated and 89.1% have received at least one dose. Garrow said there are no separate numbers for 12- to 18-year-olds.

As of Jan. 3, the city is requiring proof of vaccination for staff and patrons of restaurants and bars. Starting Jan. 17, a negative test will no longer be acceptable as a substitute.

Philadelphia schools that are temporarily closed due to COVID cases include: Pennypacker, John Welsh, A.S Jenks, Ethan Allen, Sullivan, Kenderton, Waring, Penn Treaty High School, Blankenburg, Carnell, Fox Chase, AB Day, McDaniel, Mifflin, McKinley, Munoz-Marin, Clemente, Richmond, U School, J.H. Brown, and Emlen.

Illinois students missed a lot of school last year: ‘It’s a sign that something isn’t working’

2021-12-16T18:31:29+00:00

For the past 19 years, when students in Kane County have missed school, Kari Glenn has visited their homes to see what’s preventing them from attending classes.

As a truancy officer, she says this year has been the hardest.

In one of the families Glenn works with, the single parent died, leaving behind four young children. “Now they’re going to be living with a relative and that relative isn’t completely prepared to take on four little kids,“ she said.

Since the coronavirus pandemic has hit the communities her schools serve the hardest, Glenn said that home visits have become more essential than ever. It’s been harder to reach families over the phone and their lives have drastically changed as families have lost loved ones, jobs, homes, and reliable transportation.

Much attention has been paid to Illinois’ enrollment losses during the pandemic and why almost 70,000 public school students left their districts. Less has been paid to students who stay but don’t attend school regularly — a pattern that can cause them to fall behind, miss learning, struggle to catch up, and possibly drop out of school.

“When students don’t show up to school, it’s a sign that something isn’t working.”

The number of students who are chronically absent in Illinois spiked during the pandemic, and experts and truancy officers such as Glenn say it’s still a concern.

Statewide chronic absenteeism rose to 21.2% in 2021, up almost 5 percentage points from 2019, when it stood at 16.5%. Students are considered chronically absent when they miss 18 to 20 days of the school year — an average about two days a month — with or without a valid excuse for being absent.

Despite a push to fully reopen schools this fall, truancy officers and experts say the problem persists as families deal with a lack of transportation due to a school bus driver shortage and the number of students being quarantined after possible exposure to COVID is increasing.

“When students don’t show up to school, it’s a sign that something isn’t working,” said Hedy Chang, executive director of nonprofit Attendance Works. However, if schools intervene early enough, she said, they can get students back on track academically.

“We know that when kids show up to school more, they’re more likely to read on grade level in third grade,” said Chang. “They’re more likely to do well academically in middle school and they’re more likely to graduate from high school.”

The state board of education has taken notice of the problem. At its December meeting, the board approved a recommendation to increase spending by $12 million next year for regional education offices to help them hire more truancy officers as part of the state education department’s $9.7 billion budget proposal. That plan is heading to the governor and will be voted on by the general assembly.

Students of color, those experiencing homelessness, students with disabilities, and English learners are those most impacted by chronic absenteeism, according to the Illinois Board of Education 2021 state report card.

According to that data, Black, Native, and Hispanic students had higher rates of chronic absenteeism than other racial and ethnic groups. Black students saw a significant increase from 30.9% in 2019 to 39% in 2021. Hispanic students went from 19.5% in 2019 to 24.8% in 2021. Native students rose from 23.6% in 2019 to 26.7% in 2021.

Lack of access to in-person learning last year could be one reason for the increase in chronic absenteeism, said Brenda Dixon, research and evaluation officer for the state board of education, during a press conference in late October.

“We know from national studies from the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], that school districts serving primarily Black and Hispanic students provided the least access to in-person learning last year,” said Dixon. “We suspect that less access to in-person learning contributed to lower engagement among Black and Hispanic students.”

English learners, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families also recorded higher rates of chronic absenteeism last year compared to previous years. The rates for English learners increased from 17.2% in 2019 to 23.8% in 2021, while the rates for students with IEPs went from 26.3% in 2019 to 30% in 2021. Chronically absent students from low-income households rose from 25.4% in 2019 to 31.7% in 2021.

Students struggled before and during school closures

For students with disabilities, those from low-income families or experiencing homelessness, and English learners, schools were difficult to navigate before the coronavirus pandemic. It was even harder for marginalized students once schools closed and everything went remote.

Joshua Axelsen, coordinator of alternative programs at Kane County Regional office of education, said remote learning made it harder for students with disabilities to show up for classes because they did not have the support they needed.

“There are students who may have physical disabilities or orthopedic impairments,” Axelsen said. “Working on a computer is tough. They need a caregiver. They need a one-on-one.”

Even prior to the pandemic, lack of transportation, child care, stable housing, health care, and mental health support often prevented students experiencing homelessness from going to school, said Alyssa Philips, education attorney at the nonprofit Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

“COVID has been challenging for everyone, but I think it’s been a heightened level of difficulty for those who don’t have a consistent place to stay,” said Philips. “Children are more exposed if they are in a shelter and not having that consistent access to Wi-Fi or technology when classes are remote.”

This was the first year Chang, with Attendance Works, saw an increase in chronic absenteeism for English learners. She says schools need to be better equipped at connecting with families and parents who don’t speak English to ensure they are getting access to resources.

“COVID has been challenging for everyone, but I think it’s been a heightened level of difficulty for those who don’t have a consistent place to stay.”

In addition to students with disabilities, English learners, and students who are experiencing homelessness, Chang said schools must look at students in transition grades such as preschool to kindergarten and ninth grade to 10th grade. Preschool and kindergarten lay a foundation for students to learn how to behave in a classroom, engage with their peers, be independent of parents, and prepare for academic classes. In ninth and 10th grade, students who miss their core classes are on track to drop out of school, according to Chang.

How districts can help now

While each family’s situation is different, there are solutions school districts can implement early in the year to get students into classes. And, with the state receiving more than $7 billion in COVID relief funding, there is more flexibility in what school districts can do this year.

First, experts say, districts must figure out how to reach out to families to determine why a student is chronically absent.

Patricia Graczyk, an assistant professor of clinical psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, believes that school districts should be using federal funds for mental health support for students, families, and staff. These supports could help students experiencing “re-entry anxiety,” a phrase born out of the pandemic, which refers to students who have been in remote learning for a long time and are transitioning back to in-person learning. Anxiety could be one red flag signaling that a student may miss school.

Students who are chronically absent could also have other mental health issues, Graczyk said. “It’s estimated that about 50% to 80% of those students who have school refusal behaviors that are chronically absent also have serious mental health issues.”

Having an adequate number of school psychologists and social workers in school can provide extra support to students, says Graczyk. If schools are unable to increase staffing due to funding or shortages, she added, districts should look into partnerships with community mental health providers.

Joliet Public School District 86, which had a chronic absentee rate of 21%, has ramped up its mental health support for students.

The district placed a social worker and school counselor in every building and has increased funding for partnerships with agencies to provide mental health support to families, said Sunni McNeal, assistant superintendent of equity and student services.

In the first six weeks of the school year, the school district did social-emotional learning for six weeks to “re-acclimate our students to school, reestablish our relationships with teachers, and help students feel comfortable after the trauma of just being sheltered in place at home,” McNeal said.

Peoria Public School District 150 has used COVID relief funding to hire additional staff to make home visits, call parents, and offer incentives such as prizes and awards to decrease chronic absenteeism. The Central Illinois school district, which has over 12,000 students, saw a chronic absenteeism rate of 43% for the 2020-21 school year.

Prior to the pandemic, Peoria created attendance teams — made up of principals, teachers, and social workers — at each of the district’s 25 schools. The teams look at attendance data reports each month to see how students are doing.

“A lot of people forget about the attendance and work on a lot of other things,” said Peoria superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat. “But, if the children are not there, your efforts will not be as profound and significant as having everybody there.”

As school districts create new initiatives to bring students back into classrooms, parents also want districts to communicate when a child is considered truant or chronically absent.

Lettie Hicks, whose younger daughter is currently a second grade student in East St. Louis school district 189, received a warning letter after her daughter missed five days of school last year.

Hicks was confused when she received the letter. Her school district remained remote last year and she was struggling to balance working from home and helping her daughter do school work online.

At first, Hicks didn’t know how to work a Chromebook and grappled with getting her daughter’s log-in information to work. The district never followed up with her about the letter.

As a parent facilitator with nonprofit organization Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI), Hicks found out that other parents were also receiving truancy letters. Truancy is when a student misses school without a valid excuse; chronic absenteeism is when a student misses 18-20 days with or without an excuse.

“The question that I had, and I still have, was how many days is a child allowed to be absent before extreme measures are taken place?” said Hicks. “Nobody answered that question.”

Hicks felt like there was a lot of information about how parents could be penalized if their child did not attend classes, but no information around expectations for attendance from the district.

Predictions about attendance this year

Although school buildings have reopened this year, a number of variables could determine if chronic absenteeism will decrease: coronavirus cases are on the rise again, but school districts are committing to testing students regularly for the virus, virtual learning is available to students in quarantine, and students 5 and up are eligible for the vaccine.

As of November, Joliet reported an attendance rate of 92.3%, while the chronic absenteeism rate was 11%. Peoria has reported an attendance rate of 90.2%, but does not have data on chronic absenteeism.

While these districts are reporting high attendance rates, that can mask the issue of chronic absenteeism. Even though the statewide attendance rate was 92.5% during the 2020-21 school year and has hovered around 90% for the past five years, some students were missing a large number of days.

Kari Glenn, truancy officer at Kane County Regional Office of Education, hopes schools will be able to get students back into classrooms because they missed out on learning, engaging with other students, and learning social norms in classrooms last school year. But she notes that it will take a lot of work to keep them there.

“I have a couple of affluent districts and I have low-income districts. All of them have seen loss in learning from these students and significant attendance loss,” said Glenn. “It’s going to take time to get us back to where we were.”

This story was produced as part of Samantha Smylie’s participation in the Education Writers Association’s New to the Beat program.

‘We need help’: Newark teachers feel strain of staff shortages, survey finds

2021-12-09T21:18:16+00:00

Few school years have been tougher for Newark teachers than this one.

They’ve had to contend with student learning loss and behavior issues, swelling class sizes and staff shortages, curriculum changes and COVID restrictions. Oh, and they aren’t getting bonus pay.

“There is zero morale in the building,” one Newark educator told Chalkbeat in a recent survey. “We need help,” another wrote.

Chalkbeat conducted the online survey this month to find out how Newark students and school staffers are faring this school year. The findings don’t reflect the views of all nearly 6,000 district employees. Yet the responses do offer a window into the extraordinary challenges that schools are facing, plus a few bright spots.

Here’s what we found.

Teachers are tired.

Nearly 60 Newark school staffers shared what it’s been like since classrooms reopened this September. A common theme is that people feel exhausted, and are holding on for winter break.

“This year is nothing like the other years,” one educator wrote. “It is extremely difficult.” (Chalkbeat is withholding respondents’ names and schools to protect them from retaliation.)

District data shows that the number of instructional employees who quit or retired from May to October is up 16% compared with last year.

“More teachers are quitting,” one person wrote. “Our principal is struggling to find qualified certified teachers to replace the ones we have lost or are losing.”

“Teacher morale is not good,” another educator added, “and I am concerned that some colleagues may decide to change careers.”

Some people are worried about how this turnover will affect students.

“If we become ill/stressed/overwhelmed because of the workload,” a teacher wrote, “who will be here to educate our students?”

Schools are facing acute staff shortages.

Schools across Newark continue to struggle with worker shortages, the survey found.

Nearly 90% of respondents said their schools do not have enough teachers, 64% said they have too few custodians, 45% said the same about food service workers, and 38% cited a shortage of security guards.

“Our biggest challenges are staff shortages,” one educator wrote.

The lack of teachers and substitutes has placed an extra burden on some staffers.

“Almost every teacher must substitute at least one free period (sometimes more) just to make sure classes have coverage,” an educator said.

“I’ve already subbed 9 full days and 1 partial day to cover when folks are out,” added a special education teacher.

Some said class sizes have soared.

“My classroom is very crowded!” said a kindergarten teacher, adding that her room has just 22 desks for 35 students.

The staffing crunch has even affected school lunches.

“We are short staffed and the quality of the food has changed tremendously,” a cafeteria worker wrote, “to the point where the students don’t even eat.”

And the scarcity of custodians has left some buildings in bad shape.

“Very often the classroom and the bathroom is not even swiped or the trash [taken] out,” said one teacher. Another reported litter in the “staircases, hallways, classrooms and bathrooms.”

Students are struggling.

Now that students are back in classrooms, teachers can see the scars left by remote learning.

Nearly 83% of survey respondents said students are facing academic difficulties this school year, 81% said student behavior is a problem, 75% said students are struggling with mental health, and 63% cited attendance issues.

“Student behaviors are the worst I’ve ever seen in the 11 years I’ve worked here,” one educator wrote.

“Students are fighting constantly,” added another staffer. “The cutting is out of control.”

A teacher grant ruffled some feathers.

Some school districts gave bonuses to every teacher during the pandemic in recognition of their hard work.

By contrast, Newark had teachers complete a lengthy application just to receive a $1,000 grant for classroom supplies. Many teachers were not pleased.

“I did not do the grant application because I believe we do not need to beg for a grant that we rightly deserve,” one survey respondent wrote. “These teachers deserve bonuses, not a 6 page application for grants for things they need,” another person said.

A different educator said her school gave teachers just two days to complete the application.

“Not only was the paperwork tedious and overwhelming at that time,” she wrote, “but after completing the order I was told that I personally needed to contact each vendor myself to place the order and get the invoice.”

However, at least one teacher said he appreciated the grant.

“I used it to purchase supplies that I otherwise would do without or I would buy them myself,” he wrote. “I hope this stipend continues in the future.”

Not everything is bad.

The scores of people who took the survey aired many grievances. Yet they also expressed gratitude.

Several teachers praised their school administrators and colleagues.

“In Newark, the few teachers who have stayed are sticking together and trying to make it work,” one person wrote.

But the most common source of strength and hope that school staffers cited are the people they serve.

“Students are the best part of the return,” one teacher wrote.

“The children are a joy to be around,” another added. “They keep me smiling.”

NYC parents, students, and educators: How is the school year going? Chalkbeat wants to hear from you.

2021-12-07T16:52:04+00:00

We’re nearly three months into New York City’s school year, and there are hopeful signs of a return to normalcy.

The vast majority of public school students are now eligible for the vaccine, and in the month since they’ve been eligible, 20% of children ages 5 to 11 have gotten one dose.

And yet so much of this school year remains far from normal. COVID cases are inching up again after falling since September, according to city data, and the uncertainty of the omicron variant looms. Students remain masked. More than 3,000 classrooms have closed at some point this year while twice as many have seen partial closures. And teachers — all of whom are required to be vaccinated — can now request school-based COVID testing.

We at Chalkbeat want to check in with our readers at this moment, when the joy of reopening might be turning to weariness over another irregular school year, when the relief of vaccines hasn’t completely erased fears of COVID. We hope to explore the evolving landscape of learning loss, physical safety, and mental health issues.

Across the city, students and teachers are getting back into routines, but some are having challenges with the readjustment. Some teachers have said they’ve seen more conflicts among students, more school avoidance, and an increasing caseload for school social workers and counselors. Even with the city’s promise to ensure that all schools have a full-time social worker, many educators say that students need more mental health support — as do some teachers who are suffering from burnout.

Classes may have an even wider range of abilities, after more than half of the city’s students learned remotely last year, and many children faced a host of barriers to learning, from tech access to economic hardship or illness, and even death of loved ones.

To help children catch up — both socially and emotionally — the city has tapped some of its federal relief money for assessments. Schools are assessing children three times this year to gauge their academic progress, and they’re also having teachers fill out a social emotional questionnaire, with the aim of flagging children who need more support. But many educators have said they aren’t clear on how to determine the kinds of extra resources that are needed, and their schools don’t get additional funding to provide those supports.

How is the school year shaping up so far for you? Please let us know.

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Parental involvement crucial for Philly’s early learners, advocates say

2021-12-07T11:54:00+00:00

With remote learning, many parents took on the role of part-time teacher to their children. Now, with most students attending full-time in-person school — some for the first time — some child advocates in Philadelphia say that parental support is more important than ever.

“Though it was significant before, I really think it’s significant now because it stems to us not knowing where our students really are,” said Tomea A. Sippio-Smith, K-12 education policy director at Children First, formerly PCCY.

“Before, we understood. We want our students to be able to do X, Y and Z. The guidelines haven’t changed but everybody is aware we are experiencing life in a pandemic. Where we would love students to be is not necessarily where students are because they have not had that foundation we were so used to offering in the past. It’s even more important now because we don’t know the long-term impact that’s going to have on our students.”

Before the pandemic started, Tina Barlow, a parent and volunteer at Anderson Elementary School in Cobbs Creek, regularly visited her children’s classrooms and volunteered, including as a parent mentor with a West Chester University mentoring program. Now her involvement is mainly virtual because COVID precautions prevent her from being in the building.

She uses ClassDojo, a communication tool, to check her children’s progress and participates in school advisory meetings. She also has gotten tutors to help her children, who are in first and third grade.

Barlow said getting access to extra help for her children is key to her involvement in their learning. She doesn’t mind the safety precautions that prevent her from volunteering in person.

“You can email the teacher if you have something you need to discuss, or they can call you on the phone,” she said. “For me, it’s working out fine — anything to prevent COVID from coming into the building, I’m all for it.”

Akeem Smith, whose twin kindergartners are students at West Oak Lane Charter School, relies on his mother for help with the children’s school work. The twins still have hybrid learning, attending school in person twice a week.

“It’s grandma 90% to 95% of the time,” he said. “Just because of the job I have, I lean on my support system, which is my mom. She does the bulk of the work with the kids as far as schooling. I would do the homework and the extra projects and things like that. I didn’t know how I was going to make things work out, but she seems to make a way. She relays all the information that’s needed. No information goes unnoticed.”

Nadine Smith, the twins’ 63-year-old grandmother, described her role as a juggling act that requires tending to two kindergartners, on two different laptops, with two different teachers.

“Sometimes I cut myself thin because I [have] to be there for both of them at the same time,” she said. “I did do their report card conferences with the teachers. We did that over the telephone. [Now], when I take them on Thursday and Friday, I might see the [teachers], but others are accepting them. I know how to get what I need from everybody.”

The Smiths and Barlow are examples of what several educators and advocates describe as the many faces of parental engagement – the facets of which they say changed in a lot of ways because of COVID.

“I think engagement definitely increased, just because families were home. [But] that type of engagement became overwhelming and sort of disrupted the family environment,” said Tawanna Jones-Morrison, a school psychologist, parent and advocate. “It’s one thing to be engaged about things happening at school, starting a new curriculum or having family night [versus] people expecting you to be a teacher. While [families] were more engaged, that was a very unique type of engagement.”

But Morrison said the level of parental involvement seen during the last school year also might be key to helping early learners who are returning to in-person school this year.

“It’s interesting, because what happened during the pandemic - there was this relationship created between parents and the academic work and to think that the valve is going to be shut off is a bad idea,” said Morrison. “Thinking about how much effort parents were putting in to support students academically, that benefited some students. It’s especially [important] for [early] grades because we want them to have a rich environment for learning to read, learning their beginning math skills, and practicing their social skills. Parent engagement helps create that safety net for children and that safety net includes making sure there is a space and opportunity to learn those skills at home.”

Other educators agreed, noting that schools should ensure they are doing what they can to help parents remain involved during in-person school.

“I think it’s absolutely changed for the better. It’s changed in terms of the urgency to get to know families and not waiting for the first report card conference to reach out. During COVID, people are at a different level of stress. We don’t have time to wait until the report card conference to have conversations. It becomes a higher level of urgency for relationship building,” said Principal Laurena Zeller of Add B. Anderson School.

Sippio agreed, advising schools to “meet parents where they are,” to sustain involvement. Just as important, she added, is increased advocacy from parents around policies that can help any learning loss students have suffered as a result of COVID.

“Schools have gotten an influx of federal dollars and they have to use them on student learning. Parents can advocate for those funds to make up for learning losses,” Sippio said. “That’s why parents should be involved. There’s never been a time the government has given school districts so much funding to support education related to learning losses.”

Despite potential learning loss from the pandemic’s disruption, Mai Miksic, director of Early Childhood Policy at Children First, said she doesn’t think the situation is dire, and there’s a lot that parents can do to help, including educational activities at home with their early learners.

“The conventional wisdom is that reading to your 3-, 4-, or 5-year-old is the best thing. [Anything] a parent can do to engage them in imagination or exploration is so important these days, anything in lieu of putting them in front of a television.”

Newark teachers were already overwhelmed. A $1,000 grant made them angry.

2021-12-02T22:43:38+00:00

Even before learning they wouldn’t get pandemic bonus pay, Newark teachers were fed up.

Since schools reopened this fall, worker shortages have forced teachers to take on extra students and classes while also helping clean classrooms, supervise cafeterias, and monitor hallways. Inside their classrooms, teachers face pressure to accelerate learning even as they confront a spike in student conflicts, outbursts, and meltdowns.

Meanwhile, many teachers had to toss out their usual lesson plans after the district rolled out new curriculum materials this fall. And some didn’t feel safe in their own schools while the district delayed COVID testing for months.

From May to October, 342 teachers and other instructional staffers quit or retired, according to the teachers union — a 16% increase over the same period pre-pandemic.

“This has been the most difficult year for me since I started teaching 16 years ago,” said Yvette Jordan, a social studies teacher at Central High School.

Superintendent Roger León, right, offered teachers a $1,000 grant for classroom supplies instead of bonus pay. Newark Teachers Union President John Abeigon, left, called the offer “a slap in the face.”

But the last straw for many educators, the moment when exhaustion hardened into anger, was when officials made clear they aren’t giving “thank you” bonuses to employees for working throughout the pandemic, as school districts nationwide have done. Instead, the superintendent of the Newark school system, which is getting well over $280 million in pandemic aid, told teachers they could complete a lengthy application for a $1,000 grant that can only be spent on classroom supplies.

“That was just a slap in the face,” said John Abeigon, president of the Newark Teachers Union, adding that some schools inexplicably rejected the applications teachers submitted. The union filed a grievance over the grants.

Unlike other unions that clashed with districts over school reopening, the Newark union has mostly cooperated with officials — until now. The pay snub, along with the staff shortages and crushing workloads, has pushed teachers to a breaking point, Abeigon said. If conditions don’t improve, he threatened to call on teachers to strike.

“We’re at a point where if something doesn’t give,” he said, “we may just have to.”

Instead of bonuses, a divisive grant

During the pandemic, many school districts have given teachers and other staffers bonuses ranging from $500 to $5,000 in a bid to boost morale and avert resignations. The money generally has come from the COVID relief packages that Congress sent schools earlier this year.

Last month, Great Oaks Legacy charter schools in Newark gave every teacher who’d stayed on the job since August a $1,000 thank-you payment. School officials said they hoped the bonuses would keep worn-out teachers from quitting over winter break.

“We just hope they come back,” said Jared Taillefer, the schools’ executive director, at a recent board meeting.

Newark Public Schools, which received an extra $86 million in state aid this year in addition to the federal money, decided against giving bonuses.

Superintendent León announced the “I Believe in You” grants at a staff meeting in August. Teachers had to complete lengthy applications to obtain the money for classroom supplies.

Instead, Superintendent Roger León announced in August that every teacher was eligible for a $1,000 “I Believe in You” grant for their classrooms. To access the money, they had to complete a six-part application that included a proposed project, student learning goals, a plan to continue the project after the money was spent, and an itemized budget. School administrators would assess whether the goals were challenging, the project was sustainable, and the budget was “realistic, clear, and frugal,” according to district guidance.

Teachers were livid. Instead of rewarding them for their hard work, the district was asking them to do more work just to get money for classroom supplies. In a Facebook post, the teachers union said León could “take that grant and shove it.” Many teachers declined to apply.

“You had to write a thesis to get it,” said an elementary teacher who, like others interviewed for this story, requested anonymity to avoid retaliation. “I was like, forget it.”

Adding insult to injury, schools rejected some applications, several teachers said. The educators said they don’t know why some requests for laptops, projectors, novels, and other learning tools were turned down, but they didn’t plan to reapply.

In a statement, district spokesperson Nancy Deering said officials are grateful for employees’ hard work.

“We are extremely thankful to all teachers and staff members who continue to work diligently with us during this global pandemic,” she said, adding that their efforts are why the district is “meeting and exceeding goals.”

Cascading challenges test teachers

This school year has unleashed an avalanche of challenges more trying than even those during remote learning, educators from across the district told Chalkbeat.

School conditions are tough, with face masks and desk shields still required and many water fountains shut off. Student needs are extraordinary, with many still reeling from the social and psychological upheaval of the pandemic. And learning gaps are immense, with recent tests showing that most Newark Public Schools students need intensive support in reading and math.

Then there’s the behavior issue. After more than a year and a half of learning from home, many students are struggling to focus in class, follow school rules, and interact with classmates, multiple teachers said.

“I’m only teaching 25-30% of the time and everything else is dealing with behavior,” an elementary school teacher said. “The fights at the high school level are out of control,” said a secondary school educator.

In Newark Public Schools, 90 instructional positions remain unfilled three months into the school year, officials said.

Making matters worse, school districts nationwide are facing a labor shortage. In Newark, 90 instructional positions remain unfilled three months into the school year, district officials said. Union officials say the number is higher.

The district has hired hundreds of new teachers in recent months, but many others have left. From May to October of this year, 268 instructional staffers quit, compared with 187 last year and 225 in 2019, according to the union, which also counted 74 retirements during that period this year. Last month, another 39 educators resigned and eight retired, according to district documents.

One teacher said two of her colleagues recently left for higher-paying jobs in nearby districts. Newark Public Schools’ median teacher salary of $65,618 in the 2019-20 school year is lower than several districts in Essex County, including East Orange, South Orange-Maplewood, and Montclair, according to state data.

“You’re not paying them right and you’re not giving them support,” another teacher said. “What do you expect?”

Deering said the district provides “teachers and staff with support on an individualized and ongoing basis.”

Many students have been left with substitute teachers. But when schools can’t find enough subs, administrators have assigned teachers additional students or asked them to teach extra periods.

At McKinley School, where at least nine educators have quit since September, a math teacher was given a social studies class and other staffers had to teach Spanish during their free periods after that teacher left, according to a school employee.

“If parents knew what was going on, they would be very angry,” the staffer said.

A shortage of cafeteria workers and custodians means some teachers have had to help serve lunch and wipe down desks and tables. Despite the district’s influx of funding, several teachers said that basic supplies aren’t always available.

“The district got millions of dollars to help during the pandemic and yet there’s no toilet paper or paper towels in the bathroom,” a high school teacher said. “I buy gloves, even garbage bags,” a preschool teacher added.

Teachers worry that the staff shortages and instability could set students even further behind while wearing out educators and undermining morale.

“It’s been low before, but this is the lowest of lows,” said another high school teacher. “Our goal is just to make it to winter break.”

Catherine Carrera contributed reporting.

Chicago third graders see declines in math and reading scores on state test

2021-12-02T15:30:00+00:00

Fewer than one in five Chicago third graders met or exceeded state standards in reading and math on a standardized exam given in the spring — when a majority of students were doing most of their learning at home.

That’s compared to citywide proficiency rates closer to 40% in third grade reading and 33% in third grade math in 2019, underscoring the impact of COVID-19 on young learners in the nation’s third largest school district.

The Illinois State Board of Education released district and school-level scores from the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, or IAR, on Thursday. The IAR is the annual end-of-year exam that districts administer to test how well third to eighth grade students are doing in math and English language arts. After waiving the assessment in spring 2020 as schools abruptly shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, the state saw the 2021 scores as a way to measure the toll that the pandemic has had on students’ learning.

As with statewide scores, which were released in October, Chicago’s results show that, while the pandemic impacted all children academically, it hit English learners, Black students, and children with disabilities the hardest.

To see your school district’s composite score on the English language arts portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, use our lookup tool below.

In Chicago, the IAR results offer the most panoramic view yet of the academic impact from the pandemic since officials in July discontinued the district’s contract with the interim assessment provider NWEA. That decision has raised questions about how district leaders plan to fully take measure of where students are and what academic support they need. The vast majority of schools will proceed with an optional, interim test that is shorter and offers a quicker gauge of math and reading.

Prior to the pandemic, Illinois students had largely flatlined in reading and math, a data point that was already a source of concern. While districts across the state are still assessing learning loss from the pandemic year, initial data from the IAR and SAT shows the number of students overall meeting the state’s learning standards dropped 17.8% in math and 16.6% in English language arts.

Declines were sharpest for third and fourth graders, who officials say struggled the most with remote learning.

Across three emergency relief packages, Illinois school districts will receive about $7 billion in federal dollars for pandemic response. It’s too early for a full accounting of how districts will spend those funds, but at least 20% must go to learning recovery, federal officials have said.

The state board of education has given funding to school districts for programs to address learning loss, high-impact tutoring programs, efforts to close the digital divide, students’ social-emotional health, and hiring more teachers of color.

Districts have so far invested in everything from beefed-up summer school offerings to smaller class sizes in early grades and additional academic specialists and counselors. One intervention gaining traction is high-dosage tutoring, a concept with a growing research backing. State board officials plan to spend $25 million to launch a high-dose tutoring program in early 2022. Chicago Public Schools, which is spending $525 million across two years on a package of recovery efforts, has said it is trying to build an 850-member tutoring corps among teachers and future teachers in educator prep programs.

The federal government gave states the flexibility to administer exams in the spring or fall of 2021. About 90% of Illinois school districts elected to take the exam in spring, but schools struggled to reopen classrooms due to the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in a drop in participation.

In Chicago, more than half of students took the English language arts and math portions of the IAR in 2021. In English language arts, 21.5% of students met or exceeded the state’s standards in comparison to 28% in 2019. In math, 17.5% of students met or exceeded the state’s standards in 2021, while 38% were proficient in 2019.

In third grade, 18.3% of students met or exceeded the state’s standards in English language arts and 18.2% were proficient in math. Third grade is a critical year since it’s the start of statewide literacy assessments, and districts are held accountable for performance on those tests. Educators say that if students are not able to read by third grade, they will struggle to understand the curriculum moving forward.

When asked about the recent test scores, a Chicago Public Schools spokesperson said in a statement that the district was focused on “students engaging with grade-level standards-aligned, culturally relevant instruction.”

The statement continued, “The most important assessments for educators, students, and families during the school year are those closely connected to the curriculum.”

Chicago recently rolled out the Skyline curriculum, which is optional for schools and includes assessments after each lesson, after each unit, and after a sequence of units to help better gauge what students are learning. Still, Pedro Martinez, the district’s new CEO, told Chalkbeat earlier this fall that he was grappling with the lack of consistent assessments across campuses.

Reading, math declines in districts statewide

The percentage of students who took the Illinois Assessment of Readiness varied widely per district, which distorts the picture, since fewer vulnerable students — such as those with disabilities or in temporary living situations — took the tests.

But districts across the board reported declines in the number of students proficient in math and reading.

In Rockford, the state’s third largest school district, where about two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, three in four eligible students took the test. Proficiency rates in third grade reading, which were 14% pre-pandemic, fell further.

In Indian Prairie, the fourth largest district, where fewer than one in five students qualify for free or reduced priced lunch, proficiency rates also declined, from 54.2% in third grade reading pre-pandemic to 42% on the 2021 test.

Declines for all students were most pronounced in math, while younger students showed a greater drop in overall scores and English learners saw the biggest drop of all groups, according to state officials.

Dip in SAT scores

Scores on the college-entrance SAT exam slipped for Illinois 11th graders who took the test last spring but not at the same dramatic rates.

Statewide, 33.4% of Illinois juniors demonstrated proficiency in the English Language Arts portion of the test, with just under 30% meeting or exceeding standards in math, compared to rates of 36% in English language arts and 34.4% in math before the pandemic in 2019.

In Chicago, where 86% of eligible 11th graders took the test, a higher percentage of students reached proficiency targets in English language arts compared to math. About one in four students demonstrated proficiency in the reading portion of the test, compared to one in five in math. English language learners, students with disabilities, and low-income students all scored significantly lower.

District	County	% ELA Proficiency	Enrollment
City of Chicago SD 299	Cook	21.5%	338,956
SD U-46	Kane	20.2%	35,958
Rockford SD 205	Winnebago	15.8%	26,089
Indian Prairie CUSD 204	Dupage	47.3%	25,883
Plainfield SD 202	Will	32.6%	24,915
CUSD 300	Kane	26.7%	19,815
CUSD 308	Kendall	34.6%	17,010
Naperville CUSD 203	Dupage	58.5%	16,104
Valley View CUSD 365U	Will	28.5%	15,333
Schaumburg CCSD 54	Cook	44.2%	15,179
Waukegan CUSD 60	Lake	10.7%	14,345
Springfield SD 186	Sangamon	22.3%	13,244
Aurora East USD 131	Kane	11.6%	12,982
Peoria SD 150	Peoria	14.4%	12,408
McLean County USD 5	McLean	32.5%	12,325
Township HSD 214	Cook	47.1%	11,895
Township HSD 211	Cook	44.7%	11,830
St Charles CUSD 303	Kane	51.9%	11,783
CUSD 200	Dupage	44.0%	11,742
Palatine CCSD 15	Cook	32.1%	11,477
Aurora West USD 129	Kane	20.7%	10,932
Joliet PSD 86	Will	12.0%	10,256
Champaign CUSD 4	Champaign	26.4%	10,019
Cicero SD 99	Cook	9.9%	9,934
Huntley Community School District 158	McHenry	41.9%	8,776
Decatur SD 61	Macon	5.6%	8,451
Elmhurst SD 205	Dupage	44.3%	8,319
Barrington CUSD 220	Lake	49.4%	8,163
Glenbard Twp HSD 87	Dupage	41.0%	7,918
J S Morton HSD 201	Cook	13.6%	7,661
Belvidere CUSD 100	Boone	18.3%	7,470
Cons HSD 230	Cook	39.4%	7,416
Edwardsville CUSD 7	Madison	36.6%	7,321
Evanston CCSD 65	Cook	34.6%	7,181
Moline-Coal Valley CUSD 40	Rock Island	20.0%	7,128
Crystal Lake CCSD 47	McHenry	37.6%	7,006
Lincoln Way CHSD 210	Will	49.7%	6,648
Joliet Twp HSD 204	Will	20.2%	6,642
DeKalb CUSD 428	Dekalb	15.6%	6,472
Round Lake CUSD 116	Lake	13.6%	6,472
Quincy SD 172	Adams	27.5%	6,324
Yorkville CUSD 115	Kendall	41.9%	6,266
Harlem UD 122	Winnebago	23.1%	6,233
Maine Township HSD 207	Cook	39.7%	6,182
Comm Cons SD 59	Cook	21.4%	6,081
Rock Island SD 41	Rock Island	12.7%	6,017
Wheeling CCSD 21	Cook	19.9%	6,002
Collinsville CUSD 10	Madison	19.9%	6,002
Woodstock CUSD 200	McHenry	37.8%	6,001
Alton CUSD 11	Madison	12.5%	5,803
CHSD 155	McHenry	42.2%	5,674
Granite City CUSD 9	Madison		5,657
Oak Park ESD 97	Cook	44.1%	5,599
Lake Zurich CUSD 95	Lake	47.0%	5,461
Arlington Heights SD 25	Cook	48.6%	5,262
CHSD 218	Cook	20.9%	5,257
Batavia USD 101	Kane	42.6%	5,184
Geneva CUSD 304	Kane	40.1%	5,153
Northfield Twp HSD 225	Cook	64.9%	5,096
Woodland CCSD 50	Lake	0.0%	5,065
Bremen CHSD 228	Cook	18.3%	5,018
Orland SD 135	Cook	45.3%	4,988
Bloomington SD 87	McLean	18.8%	4,978
CHSD 99	Dupage	46.8%	4,928
Kankakee SD 111	Kankakee	13.5%	4,925
New Lenox SD 122	Will	40.8%	4,922
Danville CCSD 118	Vermilion	15.7%	4,867
East St Louis SD 189	Saint Clair	4.8%	4,841
Downers Grove GSD 58	Dupage	0.0%	4,766
Belleville Twp HSD 201	Saint Clair	27.7%	4,657
Ball Chatham CUSD 5	Sangamon	32.6%	4,653
Park Ridge CCSD 64	Cook	50.5%	4,604
Niles Twp HSD 219	Cook	44.8%	4,593
Dunlap CUSD 323	Peoria	60.9%	4,577
Thornton Twp HSD 205	Cook	0.0%	4,543
Minooka CCSD 201	Grundy	29.4%	4,511
Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview 89	Cook	0.0%	4,420
Wauconda CUSD 118	Lake	28.9%	4,325
Crete Monee CUSD 201U	Will	13.4%	4,325
Glenview CCSD 34	Cook	42.7%	4,313
Central CUSD 301	Kane	42.8%	4,310
Adlai E Stevenson HSD 125	Lake	73.8%	4,275
CCSD 62	Cook	41.1%	4,263
Proviso Twp HSD 209	Cook	16.0%	4,214
McHenry CCSD 15	McHenry	24.8%	4,062
Kaneland CUSD 302	Kane	43.2%	4,031
Urbana SD 116	Champaign	12.9%	4,002
Hinsdale Twp HSD 86	Dupage	64.8%	3,979
Lyons Twp HSD 204	Cook	54.2%	3,975
New Trier Twp HSD 203	Cook	80.2%	3,971
Galesburg CUSD 205	Knox	22.4%	3,958
Mascoutah CUD 19	Saint Clair	48.7%	3,946
Troy CCSD 30C	Will	34.2%	3,911
Triad CUSD 2	Madison	41.1%	3,880
Lockport Twp HSD 205	Will	38.3%	3,864
DuPage HSD 88	Dupage	35.5%	3,764
Warren Twp HSD 121	Lake	43.9%	3,742
Marion CUSD 2	Williamson	31.2%	3,706
Hawthorn CCSD 73	Lake	41.3%	3,698
North Shore SD 112	Lake	43.8%	3,681
Evanston Twp HSD 202	Cook	52.7%	3,652
Addison SD 4	Dupage	17.4%	3,644
West Chicago ESD 33	Dupage	10.3%	3,635
Hinsdale CCSD 181	Dupage	71.1%	3,606
Homer CCSD 33C	Will	42.1%	3,598
Glen Ellyn SD 41	Dupage	46.7%	3,576
O Fallon CCSD 90	Saint Clair	40.7%	3,572
Sycamore CUSD 427	Dekalb	32.5%	3,533
Freeport SD 145	Stephenson	12.2%	3,487
Grayslake CCSD 46	Lake	35.0%	3,476
Kirby SD 140	Cook	38.3%	3,471
East Maine SD 63	Cook	27.8%	3,459
Belleville SD 118	Saint Clair	23.3%	3,449
North Palos SD 117	Cook	59.3%	3,428
Leyden CHSD 212	Cook	21.0%	3,421
Wilmette SD 39	Cook	58.7%	3,380
Oak Park - River Forest SD 200	Cook	62.4%	3,364
CHSD 128	Lake	64.6%	3,310
Twp HSD 113	Lake	63.3%	3,303
CCSD 93	Dupage	32.6%	3,300
SD 45 DuPage County	Dupage	27.0%	3,284
Burbank SD 111	Cook	16.0%	3,275
Berwyn South SD 100	Cook	19.6%	3,268
Oak Lawn-Hometown SD 123	Cook	24.4%	3,266
North Chicago SD 187	Lake	12.8%	3,194
Cook County SD 130	Cook	0.0%	3,188
Mahomet-Seymour CUSD 3	Champaign	34.8%	3,170
Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96	Lake	58.5%	3,170
Thornton Fractional Twp HSD 215	Cook	13.3%	3,164
Pekin PSD 108	Tazewell	20.0%	3,149
Cahokia CUSD 187	Saint Clair		3,143
Jacksonville SD 117	Morgan	22.7%	3,119
Sterling CUSD 5	Whiteside	20.4%	3,106
Morton CUSD 709	Tazewell	59.7%	3,069
Lombard SD 44	Dupage	37.1%	3,020
Mattoon CUSD 2	Coles	23.6%	2,994
La Grange SD 102	Cook	53.5%	2,989
Bloom Twp HSD 206	Cook		2,832
Highland CUSD 5	Madison	41.4%	2,810
Homewood Flossmoor CHSD 233	Cook	28.7%	2,782
Deerfield SD 109	Lake	63.5%	2,779
Woodridge SD 68	Dupage	37.1%	2,744
Elmwood Park CUSD 401	Cook	26.1%	2,730
Minooka CHSD 111	Grundy	36.5%	2,695
Berwyn North SD 98	Cook	22.5%	2,685
CHSD 117	Lake	40.4%	2,651
Grayslake CHSD 127	Lake	44.2%	2,648
Chicago Heights SD 170	Cook	21.5%	2,644
Waterloo CUSD 5	Monroe	45.9%	2,619
Summit Hill SD 161	Will	41.7%	2,602
Prairie-Hills ESD 144	Cook	11.6%	2,599
East Moline SD 37	Rock Island	13.1%	2,596
Lake Park CHSD 108	Dupage	43.5%	2,587
Antioch CCSD 34	Lake	27.1%	2,570
Harvard CUSD 50	McHenry	11.8%	2,561
Zion-Benton Twp HSD 126	Lake	16.0%	2,531
Lansing SD 158	Cook	20.2%	2,526
Rich Twp HSD 227	Cook	11.1%	2,516
Frankfort CCSD 157C	Will	76.4%	2,506
Aptakisic-Tripp CCSD 102	Lake	63.1%	2,500
Mannheim SD 83	Cook	23.1%	2,497
Geneseo CUSD 228	Henry	26.0%	2,482
O Fallon Twp HSD 203	Saint Clair	40.1%	2,479
Charleston CUSD 1	Coles	20.9%	2,473
Dixon USD 170	Lee	20.3%	2,465
Indian Springs SD 109	Cook	29.1%	2,449
Jersey CUSD 100	Jersey	32.2%	2,434
Marquardt SD 15	Dupage	20.5%	2,396
Berkeley SD 87	Cook	15.3%	2,379
Mt Zion CUSD 3	Macon	35.0%	2,373
Matteson ESD 162	Cook	18.2%	2,367
Lemont-Bromberek CSD 113A	Cook	45.7%	2,351
Lake Villa CCSD 41	Lake	5.6%	2,340
Effingham CUSD 40	Effingham	26.4%	2,334
Dolton SD 149	Cook	8.4%	2,332
Herrin CUSD 4	Williamson	27.5%	2,321
Bethalto CUSD 8	Madison	31.1%	2,321
Ridgeland SD 122	Cook	22.9%	2,313
CCSD 146	Cook	35.5%	2,306
Plano CUSD 88	Kendall	22.1%	2,293
Taylorville CUSD 3	Christian	31.2%	2,285
Cary CCSD 26	McHenry	32.9%	2,280
Mount Prospect SD 57	Cook	40.7%	2,270
Flossmoor SD 161	Cook	27.4%	2,245
Bourbonnais SD 53	Kankakee	24.2%	2,239
Lyons SD 103	Cook	15.0%	2,238
Richland County CUSD 1	Richland	27.7%	2,233
Zion ESD 6	Lake	6.1%	2,223
CCSD 89	Dupage	48.9%	2,197
Canton Union SD 66	Fulton	22.6%	2,181
Bellwood SD 88	Cook		2,167
Carterville CUSD 5	Williamson	43.6%	2,152
McHenry CHSD 156	McHenry	30.8%	2,146
Libertyville SD 70	Lake	59.3%	2,127
Fremont SD 79	Lake	42.4%	2,104
Bensenville SD 2	Dupage	27.6%	2,090
Rochester CUSD 3A	Sangamon		2,082
Coal City CUSD 1	Grundy	49.6%	2,078
Mundelein Cons HSD 120	Lake	34.2%	2,034
Il Valley Central USD 321	Peoria	44.6%	2,028
CHSD 94	Dupage	20.7%	1,990
Reavis Twp HSD 220	Cook	21.5%	1,956
Palos CCSD 118	Cook	57.3%	1,941
Hononegah CHD 207	Winnebago	53.5%	1,937
Dolton SD 148	Cook	0.0%	1,935
Beach Park CCSD 3	Lake	11.6%	1,925
Columbia CUSD 4	Monroe	38.5%	1,913
Kewanee CUSD 229	Henry	19.7%	1,888
Massac UD 1	Massac	28.0%	1,884
Homewood SD 153	Cook	28.4%	1,872
Bradley Bourbonnais CHSD 307	Kankakee	24.5%	1,872
Argo CHSD 217	Cook	20.2%	1,869
Macomb CUSD 185	McDonough	26.4%	1,869
Murphysboro CUSD 186	Jackson	10.1%	1,866
Evergreen Park ESD 124	Cook	32.5%	1,861
Manteno CUSD 5	Kankakee	34.7%	1,858
Gurnee SD 56	Lake	14.2%	1,851
Pekin CSD 303	Tazewell	24.6%	1,827
Oak Lawn CHSD 229	Cook	21.3%	1,815
Sandwich CUSD 430	Dekalb	31.8%	1,812
Northbrook SD 28	Cook	65.0%	1,809
Lincolnshire-Prairieview SD 103	Lake	68.8%	1,796
Ottawa ESD 141	La Salle	29.8%	1,759
Harrisburg CUSD 3	Saline	25.1%	1,758
Grant CHSD 124	Lake	26.9%	1,751
ESD 159	Cook	15.6%	1,750
Skokie SD 69	Cook	24.7%	1,737
United Twp HSD 30	Rock Island	17.1%	1,737
Queen Bee SD 16	Dupage	27.9%	1,714
Roxana CUSD 1	Madison	18.9%	1,714
Olympia CUSD 16	McLean	30.1%	1,697
Prairie Central CUSD 8	Livingston	31.8%	1,692
Kinnikinnick CCSD 131	Winnebago	47.3%	1,690
Skokie SD 68	Cook	24.5%	1,689
Johnsburg CUSD 12	McHenry	21.2%	1,678
Harvey SD 152	Cook	10.5%	1,666
Big Hollow SD 38	Lake	25.4%	1,664
Rantoul City SD 137	Champaign	6.0%	1,654
Riverside SD 96	Cook	53.6%	1,652
Manhattan SD 114	Will	38.1%	1,640
Clinton CUSD 15	Dewitt	30.0%	1,639
Herscher CUSD 2	Kankakee	32.3%	1,635
Bond County CUSD 2	Bond	27.1%	1,629
Mundelein ESD 75	Lake	22.4%	1,628
Winnetka SD 36	Cook	62.2%	1,627
Riverside-Brookfield Twp SD 208	Cook	45.5%	1,624
Lake Forest SD 67	Lake	47.8%	1,609
Monticello CUSD 25	Piatt	51.0%	1,600
Frankfort CUSD 168	Franklin	15.8%	1,581
Summit SD 104	Cook		1,578
Midlothian SD 143	Cook	12.7%	1,566
Hillsboro CUSD 3	Montgomery	35.8%	1,561
South Holland SD 151	Cook	7.5%	1,559
Robinson CUSD 2	Crawford	36.5%	1,558
Tolono CUSD 7	Champaign	36.4%	1,551
Rockton SD 140	Winnebago	45.7%	1,540
Forest Ridge SD 142	Cook	29.9%	1,536
Rochelle CCSD 231	Ogle	19.0%	1,536
River Trails SD 26	Cook	41.2%	1,535
Alsip-Hazlgrn-Oaklwn SD 126	Cook	27.1%	1,531
Carbondale ESD 95	Jackson	11.6%	1,518
Monmouth-Roseville CUSD 238	Warren	20.8%	1,507
Williamsville CUSD 15	Sangamon	45.5%	1,503
North Boone CUSD 200	Boone	21.1%	1,496
Western Springs SD 101	Cook		1,494
Mokena SD 159	Will	41.5%	1,494
Lake Forest CHSD 115	Lake	68.5%	1,489
Mount Vernon SD 80	Jefferson	9.9%	1,485
Park Forest SD 163	Cook		1,483
Genoa Kingston CUSD 424	Dekalb	31.3%	1,480
Meridian CUSD 223	Ogle	36.6%	1,476
Prospect Heights SD 23	Cook	37.3%	1,472
Byron CUSD 226	Ogle	50.2%	1,463
Oregon CUSD 220	Ogle	22.4%	1,451
Streator ESD 44	La Salle	15.3%	1,446
Eureka CUD 140	Woodford	56.0%	1,441
Wabash CUSD 348	Wabash	19.9%	1,420
Carmi-White County CUSD 5	White	35.1%	1,405
Vandalia CUSD 203	Fayette	25.1%	1,403
Chicago Ridge SD 127-5	Cook	17.3%	1,402
River Forest SD 90	Cook	58.5%	1,400
Lisle CUSD 202	Dupage	39.1%	1,397
Washington CHSD 308	Tazewell	43.4%	1,395
Steger SD 194	Cook	13.4%	1,393
Beardstown CUSD 15	Cass	4.4%	1,390
Lemont Twp HSD 210	Cook	47.6%	1,390
Fenton CHSD 100	Dupage	27.2%	1,388
East Peoria SD 86	Tazewell	21.0%	1,388
Will County SD 92	Will	38.3%	1,377
Du Quoin CUSD 300	Perry	18.1%	1,374
Keeneyville SD 20	Dupage	18.5%	1,371
Schiller Park SD 81	Cook	27.4%	1,370
Brookfield Lagrange Park SD 95	Cook	39.7%	1,350
Bradley SD 61	Kankakee	21.1%	1,348
Sherrard CUSD 200	Rock Island	30.0%	1,344
Flora CUSD 35	Clay	37.1%	1,341
Central SD 51	Tazewell	64.8%	1,339
Wesclin CUSD 3	Clinton	32.2%	1,322
Bloomingdale SD 13	Dupage	53.7%	1,320
Maercker SD 60	Dupage	44.9%	1,319
Darien SD 61	Dupage	31.7%	1,312
Riverton CUSD 14	Sangamon	16.1%	1,307
Carlinville CUSD 1	Macoupin	40.8%	1,300
Northbrook ESD 27	Cook	70.1%	1,293
Litchfield CUSD 12	Montgomery	34.3%	1,292
CCSD 168	Cook	5.1%	1,289
Franklin Park SD 84	Cook	31.1%	1,280
Paxton-Buckley-Loda CUD 10	Ford	28.8%	1,280
Southwestern CUSD 9	Macoupin	31.6%	1,274
Reed Custer CUSD 255U	Will	36.0%	1,271
Peotone CUSD 207U	Will	30.0%	1,266
Winnebago CUSD 323	Winnebago	37.8%	1,265
CUSD 201	Dupage	38.9%	1,259
La Grange SD 105 South	Cook	47.3%	1,258
Mercer County School District 404	Mercer	23.5%	1,258
Pleasant Plains CUSD 8	Sangamon	29.3%	1,237
Country Club Hills SD 160	Cook	9.4%	1,229
Lincolnwood SD 74	Cook	31.5%	1,226
Staunton CUSD 6	Macoupin	27.9%	1,226
Posen-Robbins ESD 143-5	Cook	12.0%	1,216
Marshall CUSD 2C	Clark	33.4%	1,216
Ottawa Twp HSD 140	La Salle	27.0%	1,216
Northbrook/Glenview SD 30	Cook	63.4%	1,211
La Salle-Peru Twp HSD 120	La Salle	26.1%	1,207
Shelbyville CUSD 4	Shelby	41.5%	1,206
Farmington Central CUSD 265	Peoria	28.3%	1,204
Westville CUSD 2	Vermilion	8.7%	1,201
Glencoe SD 35	Cook	64.3%	1,199
Whiteside SD 115	Saint Clair	20.5%	1,182
Wilmington CUSD 209U	Will	46.9%	1,182
Jasper County CUD 1	Jasper	30.1%	1,180
Auburn CUSD 10	Sangamon	17.2%	1,180
Pana CUSD 8	Christian	29.0%	1,172
Channahon SD 17	Will	47.3%	1,172
Arbor Park SD 145	Cook	20.1%	1,171
Maroa Forsyth CUSD 2	Macon	37.8%	1,167
North Mac CUSD 34	Macoupin	21.2%	1,167
Centralia SD 135	Marion	20.6%	1,164
Gillespie CUSD 7	Macoupin	19.8%	1,161
El Paso-Gridley CUSD 11	Woodford	38.3%	1,158
Mt Vernon Twp HSD 201	Jefferson	16.0%	1,155
Sparta CUSD 140	Randolph	13.7%	1,145
Lawrence County CUD 20	Lawrence	25.0%	1,144
Pontiac CCSD 429	Livingston	15.0%	1,141
Sullivan CUSD 300	Moultrie	27.6%	1,133
Brookwood SD 167	Cook	14.4%	1,108
Riverdale CUSD 100	Rock Island	37.7%	1,108
Eldorado CUSD 4	Saline	18.8%	1,106
Pikeland CUSD 10	Pike	17.9%	1,101
Tri Valley CUSD 3	McLean	55.1%	1,101
Belle Valley SD 119	Saint Clair	29.9%	1,100
Hoopeston Area CUSD 11	Vermilion	14.4%	1,099
Center Cass SD 66	Dupage	48.2%	1,096
Morris SD 54	Grundy	23.7%	1,094
Millburn CCSD 24	Lake	39.6%	1,093
Lincoln ESD 27	Logan	38.7%	1,082
Princeton ESD 115	Bureau	30.7%	1,073
Hamilton Co CUSD 10	Hamilton	32.8%	1,068
Benton CCSD 47	Franklin	19.8%	1,068
Arthur CUSD 305	Douglas	35.4%	1,054
Worth SD 127	Cook	24.4%	1,053
Skokie SD 73-5	Cook	38.7%	1,051
Westchester SD 92-5	Cook	27.5%	1,051
Nippersink SD 2	McHenry	44.4%	1,051
Teutopolis CUSD 50	Effingham	60.1%	1,050
Mendota CCSD 289	La Salle	22.1%	1,046
Athens CUSD 213	Menard	42.2%	1,045
Beecher CUSD 200U	Will	36.6%	1,045
Norridge SD 80	Cook	56.3%	1,039
Johnston City CUSD 1	Williamson	14.1%	1,037
Porta CUSD 202	Menard	29.0%	1,023
ISU Laboratory Schools	State Of Illinois	65.8%	1,012
Rockridge CUSD 300	Rock Island	29.0%	1,010
Calumet City SD 155	Cook	8.1%	1,004
Red Bud CUSD 132	Randolph	34.5%	1,001
Cumberland CUSD 77	Cumberland	19.9%	997
East Peoria CHSD 309	Tazewell	14.4%	995
Carlyle CUSD 1	Clinton	30.0%	993
Deer Creek-Mackinaw CUSD 701	Tazewell	33.4%	991
Meridian CUSD 15	Macon	25.1%	988
Itasca SD 10	Dupage	44.9%	983
Wood Dale SD 7	Dupage	26.8%	979
Knoxville CUSD 202	Knox	19.7%	977
Marengo-Union E Cons D 165	McHenry	28.5%	977
Bureau Valley CUSD 340	Bureau	31.3%	973
Orion CUSD 223	Henry	38.7%	963
Dupo CUSD 196	Saint Clair	18.9%	963
Warrensburg-Latham CUSD 11	Macon	31.4%	957
Salem SD 111	Marion	42.8%	950
Carbondale CHSD 165	Jackson	36.1%	947
Schuyler-Industry CUSD 5	Schuyler	14.8%	946
Momence CUSD 1	Kankakee	13.1%	946
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley CUSD 5	Ford	35.2%	945
Tuscola CUSD 301	Douglas	28.2%	938
Red Hill CUSD 10	Lawrence	37.5%	935
Chester CUSD 139	Randolph	32.3%	935
Sunnybrook SD 171	Cook	23.7%	928
Morrison CUSD 6	Whiteside	30.8%	928
Calumet Public SD 132	Cook	0.0%	925
Abingdon-Avon CUSD 276	Knox	19.0%	924
River Bend CUSD 2	Whiteside	26.0%	924
Oak Grove SD 68 Green Oaks	Lake	61.4%	920
Limestone CHSD 310	Peoria	25.1%	920
United CUSD 304	Warren	21.6%	918
Central CUSD 4	Iroquois	23.4%	917
County of Woodford School	Woodford	44.4%	916
LaGrange Highlands SD 106	Cook		913
Oakwood CUSD 76	Vermilion	19.2%	911
County of Winnebago SD 320	Winnebago	26.2%	910
Peru ESD 124	La Salle	29.5%	910
Heyworth CUSD 4	McLean	35.8%	905
Tremont CUSD 702	Tazewell	52.3%	900
Argenta-Oreana CUSD 1	Macon	22.7%	897
West Carroll CUSD 314	Carroll	19.2%	891
La Salle ESD 122	La Salle	13.6%	890
Gower SD 62	Dupage	60.0%	887
Havana CUSD 126	Mason	22.2%	887
Iroquois County CUSD 9	Iroquois	35.8%	886
West Northfield SD 31	Cook	54.4%	883
Rock Falls ESD 13	Whiteside	24.1%	878
Fieldcrest CUSD 6	Woodford	28.8%	878
Paris-Union SD 95	Edgar	44.8%	875
Midwest Central CUSD 191	Mason	22.8%	875
Pecatonica CUSD 321	Winnebago	49.8%	870
Hazel Crest SD 152-5	Cook	0.0%	868
Illini Bluffs CUSD 327	Peoria	27.4%	866
Diamond Lake SD 76	Lake	14.7%	862
Lake Bluff ESD 65	Lake	54.5%	859
Horizon Science Acad-McKinley Park Charter Sch	Cook	23.3%	856
Rochelle Twp HSD 212	Ogle	22.0%	856
Iroquois West CUSD 10	Iroquois	30.0%	855
Centralia HSD 200	Marion	16.8%	854
Morris CHSD 101	Grundy	31.7%	853
Evergreen Park CHSD 231	Cook	23.6%	851
Washington SD 52	Tazewell	47.4%	848
New Berlin CUSD 16	Sangamon	21.1%	842
Morton Grove SD 70	Cook	50.2%	839
Salt Fork Community Unit District 512	Vermilion	28.6%	839
Georgetown-Ridge Farm CUD 4	Vermilion	19.5%	833
South Holland SD 150	Cook	10.2%	832
Pleasantdale SD 107	Cook	58.1%	830
Richland GSD 88A	Will	0.0%	830
Central CUSD 3	Adams	17.6%	827
Casey-Westfield CUSD 4C	Clark	31.8%	826
St Joseph CCSD 169	Champaign	54.2%	824
Galena USD 120	Jo Daviess	34.2%	820
Streator Twp HSD 40	La Salle	19.7%	818
Ridgewood CHSD 234	Cook	30.2%	811
Germantown Hills SD 69	Woodford	68.9%	809
W Harvey-Dixmoor PSD 147	Cook		807
Hoover-Schrum Memorial SD 157	Cook		806
Edwards County CUSD 1	Edwards	44.8%	804
Lincoln CHSD 404	Logan	27.3%	801
Lena Winslow CUSD 202	Stephenson	50.9%	794
Trico CUSD 176	Jackson	22.6%	793
North Greene CUSD 3	Greene	20.0%	785
Putnam County CUSD 535	Putnam	23.7%	784
Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico CUSD3	Whiteside	25.4%	782
Lincoln ESD 156	Cook	14.1%	781
Metamora CCSD 1	Woodford	51.6%	780
Rantoul Township HSD 193	Champaign	14.0%	779
Cass SD 63	Dupage	52.0%	778
Dakota CUSD 201	Stephenson	35.0%	773
Freeburg CCSD 70	Saint Clair	51.7%	767
LeRoy CUSD 2	McLean	32.6%	766
Harmony Emge SD 175	Saint Clair	20.3%	765
West Central CUSD 235	Henderson	9.2%	749
Saratoga CCSD 60C	Grundy	54.6%	744
Peoria Heights CUSD 325	Peoria	15.3%	737
Somonauk CUSD 432	Dekalb	46.5%	733
Gallatin CUSD 7	Gallatin	34.8%	727
Gavin SD 37	Lake	16.2%	726
Prairie Hill CCSD 133	Winnebago	73.7%	724
Fairview SD 72	Cook	54.5%	722
Millstadt CCSD 160	Saint Clair	36.6%	721
Golf ESD 67	Cook		717
Christopher USD 99	Franklin	21.7%	717
East Alton SD 13	Madison	17.0%	717
Forrestville Valley CUSD 221	Ogle	42.4%	711
Indian Creek CUSD 425	Dekalb	28.5%	706
Brown County CUSD 1	Brown	27.9%	703
River Grove SD 85-5	Cook	26.3%	700
Amboy CUSD 272	Lee	26.1%	697
Avoca SD 37	Cook	61.1%	696
Princeville CUSD 326	Peoria	38.4%	692
Wolf Branch SD 113	Saint Clair	45.2%	691
Norris City-Omaha-Enfield CUSD 3	White	16.2%	690
Fox Lake GSD 114	Lake	11.1%	688
Midland CUSD 7	Marshall	46.2%	682
Eastland CUSD 308	Carroll	45.0%	681
Prairie Grove CSD 46	McHenry	41.8%	680
Roselle SD 12	Dupage	49.8%	679
Arcola CUSD 306	Douglas	14.9%	678
Pontiac Twp HSD 90	Livingston	26.4%	677
Hinckley Big Rock CUSD 429	Dekalb	34.9%	675
Medinah SD 11	Dupage	42.1%	672
Stark County CUSD 100	Stark	20.9%	670
Palos Heights SD 128	Cook	49.6%	669
Central A & M CUD 21	Shelby	19.2%	667
Salem CHSD 600	Marion	18.4%	666
Forest Park SD 91	Cook	27.3%	660
District 50 Schools	Tazewell	11.6%	659
CUSD 4	Adams	22.6%	658
Marengo CHSD 154	McHenry	36.2%	657
Sangamon Valley CUSD 9	Macon	26.9%	655
Illini Central CUSD 189	Mason	19.0%	655
Altamont CUSD 10	Effingham	29.8%	654
Freeburg CHSD 77	Saint Clair	36.6%	650
Blue Ridge CUSD 18	Dewitt	24.5%	646
Erie CUSD 1	Whiteside	38.2%	642
Pontiac-W Holliday SD 105	Saint Clair	24.6%	642
Union Ridge SD 86	Cook	53.2%	640
Brimfield CUSD 309	Peoria	46.7%	640
South Central CUD 401	Marion	19.6%	636
Madison CUSD 12	Madison	2.9%	633
Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy	State Of Illinois		629
Liberty CUSD 2	Adams	39.0%	625
Central CHSD 71	Clinton	34.0%	625
Fairfield PSD 112	Wayne	28.5%	624
Spring Valley CCSD 99	Bureau	20.9%	621
East Dubuque USD 119	Jo Daviess	41.8%	619
Elmwood CUSD 322	Peoria	36.7%	617
Silvis SD 34	Rock Island	10.4%	617
Anna CCSD 37	Union	33.8%	615
Wood River-Hartford ESD 15	Madison	19.0%	612
Goreville CUD 1	Johnson	31.3%	609
Serena CUSD 2	La Salle	27.2%	607
Niles ESD 71	Cook		606
Breese ESD 12	Clinton	41.6%	604
R O W V A CUSD 208	Knox	35.2%	604
Villa Grove CUSD 302	Douglas	19.4%	600
Rock Falls Twp HSD 301	Whiteside	29.9%	595
Benjamin SD 25	Dupage	42.4%	594
West Prairie CUSD 103	McDonough	22.3%	594
Winchester CUSD 1	Scott	29.2%	592
Lewistown CUSD 97	Fulton	14.1%	587
Bushnell Prairie City CUSD 170	McDonough	15.9%	586
Atwood Heights SD 125	Cook	25.4%	583
Richmond-Burton CHSD 157	McHenry	40.4%	580
Fisher CUSD 1	Champaign	31.8%	577
Nokomis CUSD 22	Montgomery	31.4%	573
Southland College Prep Charter High School	Cook	37.1%	573
Bunker Hill CUSD 8	Macoupin	19.0%	573
Shiloh Village SD 85	Saint Clair	35.1%	573
Sesser-Valier CUSD 196	Franklin	24.4%	572
Horizon Science Acad-Belmont Charter Sch	Cook	24.2%	571
Oblong CUSD 4	Crawford	23.5%	570
East Alton-Wood River CHSD 14	Madison	12.6%	570
Tri City CUSD 1	Sangamon	29.9%	565
Betty Shabazz International Charter School	Cook		564
Ridgeview CUSD 19	McLean	13.2%	564
Nashville CCSD 49	Washington	19.6%	559
Dieterich CUSD 30	Effingham	45.5%	557
Grant CCSD 110	Saint Clair	21.5%	556
Bismarck Henning CUSD	Vermilion	31.9%	556
North Clay CUSD 25	Clay	12.7%	555
Central SD 104	Saint Clair	19.0%	555
Unity Point CCSD 140	Jackson	38.1%	554
Durand CUSD 322	Winnebago	39.8%	552
Winthrop Harbor SD 1	Lake	17.7%	552
Rhodes SD 84-5	Cook	20.8%	548
Lockport SD 91	Will	35.4%	548
Pawnee CUSD 11	Sangamon	28.4%	541
West Washington Co CUD 10	Washington	32.5%	537
Stockton CUSD 206	Jo Daviess	40.1%	535
Benton Cons HSD 103	Franklin	27.3%	531
Princeton HSD 500	Bureau	33.3%	531
Paris Cooperative High School	Edgar	22.4%	529
Smithton CCSD 130	Saint Clair	46.8%	529
Wethersfield CUSD 230	Henry	29.7%	527
Polo CUSD 222	Ogle	40.6%	527
Lebanon CUSD 9	Saint Clair	19.5%	523
Carrollton CUSD 1	Greene	25.2%	521
Hamilton CCSD 328	Hancock	38.9%	520
Western CUSD 12	Pike	27.5%	515
Mendota Twp HSD 280	La Salle	18.9%	514
Wayne City CUSD 100	Wayne	35.9%	510
Marissa CUSD 40	Saint Clair	14.4%	509
Anna Jonesboro CHSD 81	Union	19.4%	508
Zeigler-Royalton CUSD 188	Franklin	20.1%	507
Henry-Senachwine CUSD 5	Marshall	25.1%	507
Payson CUSD 1	Adams	17.8%	504
East Prairie SD 73	Cook	46.3%	504
Mt Pulaski CUSD 23	Logan	21.0%	502
Woodlawn Unit School District 209	Jefferson	28.1%	501
Hardin County CUSD 1	Hardin	16.6%	498
Pinckneyville SD 50	Perry	32.7%	496
Neoga CUSD 3	Cumberland	22.8%	495
Marseilles ESD 150	La Salle	12.3%	493
Salt Creek SD 48	Dupage	33.8%	492
Lexington CUSD 7	McLean	39.1%	491
Okaw Valley CUSD 302	Moultrie	28.5%	490
Calhoun CUSD 40	Calhoun	26.2%	490
New Athens CUSD 60	Saint Clair	53.9%	487
Komarek SD 94	Cook	29.2%	482
Pope Co CUD 1	Pope	25.3%	481
Cobden SUD 17	Union	20.7%	480
Mount Olive CUSD 5	Macoupin	16.7%	477
Crab Orchard CUSD 3	Williamson	25.8%	476
Butler SD 53	Dupage	74.8%	474
Creve Coeur SD 76	Tazewell	19.9%	473
Galva CUSD 224	Henry	14.0%	472
Ashton-Franklin Center CUSD 275	Lee	19.5%	470
Milford Area Public Schools District 124	Iroquois	25.9%	468
Sunset Ridge SD 29	Cook	63.2%	466
Kenilworth SD 38	Cook	76.4%	463
Pinckneyville CHSD 101	Perry	18.6%	459
River Ridge CUSD 210	Jo Daviess	35.6%	457
Oglesby ESD 125	La Salle	13.3%	456
Panhandle CUSD 2	Montgomery	27.0%	455
Pleasant Valley SD 62	Peoria	20.3%	453
Carrier Mills-Stonefort CUSD 2	Saline	10.5%	451
Dwight Common SD 232	Livingston	17.1%	450
Seneca CCSD 170	La Salle	38.5%	448
Cerro Gordo CUSD 100	Piatt	48.3%	447
Meridian CUSD 101	Pulaski	3.4%	445
Paris CUSD 4	Edgar	40.7%	441
Woodland CUSD 5	Livingston	19.6%	441
Cambridge CUSD 227	Henry	36.9%	441
Ramsey CUSD 204	Fayette	42.9%	440
Southeastern CUSD 337	Hancock	26.5%	439
Delavan CUSD 703	Tazewell	23.6%	439
N Pekin & Marquette Hght SD 102	Tazewell	29.1%	438
LEARN Charter 9 Campus in Waukegan	Lake	19.2%	434
Hillside SD 93	Cook	13.4%	433
Ford Heights SD 169	Cook	2.9%	433
CCSD 180	Dupage	21.1%	432
Roanoke Benson CUSD 60	Woodford	49.6%	432
St Joseph Ogden CHSD 305	Champaign	41.3%	431
Prairie Crossing Charter School	Lake	49.8%	430
Pennoyer SD 79	Cook	38.5%	429
Carthage ESD 317	Hancock	35.0%	428
Pearl City CUSD 200	Stephenson	33.5%	423
Sandoval CUSD 501	Marion	7.4%	420
St Elmo CUSD 202	Fayette	16.7%	419
Laraway CCSD 70C	Will	7.3%	419
Grant Park CUSD 6	Kankakee	25.4%	418
Chaney-Monge SD 88	Will		416
Greenfield CUSD 10	Greene	22.3%	415
Fairfield Comm H S Dist 225	Wayne	20.2%	414
Hall HSD 502	Bureau	18.0%	414
Warsaw CUSD 316	Hancock	17.6%	411
Nashville CHSD 99	Washington	30.7%	408
Stewardson-Strasburg CUD 5A	Shelby	44.7%	402
Hiawatha CUSD 426	Dekalb	23.8%	402
Galatia CUSD 1	Saline	27.5%	402
Seneca Twp HSD 160	La Salle	34.1%	398
Rome CCSD 2	Jefferson	30.0%	396
Steeleville CUSD 138	Randolph	25.6%	395
Colona SD 190	Henry	14.4%	393
Norwood ESD 63	Peoria	18.7%	393
Wallace CCSD 195	La Salle	35.9%	392
CUSD 3 Fulton County	Fulton	31.5%	390
St George CCSD 258	Kankakee	48.8%	385
Aviston SD 21	Clinton	69.1%	384
Fox River Grove Cons SD 3	McHenry	42.0%	384
A-C Central CUSD 262	Cass	15.9%	382
Triopia CUSD 27	Morgan	27.7%	382
Lindop SD 92	Cook	17.8%	382
Egyptian CUSD 5	Alexander	8.8%	379
Earlville CUSD 9	La Salle	21.2%	374
Chadwick-Milledgeville CUSD 399	Carroll	38.9%	372
Warren CUSD 205	Jo Daviess	44.7%	370
Valmeyer CUSD 3	Monroe	24.2%	370
Willow Springs SD 108	Cook	25.1%	369
Elverado CUSD 196	Jackson	31.6%	369
Alden Hebron SD 19	McHenry	21.1%	369
Vienna SD 55	Johnson	47.0%	367
Brownstown CUSD 201	Fayette	30.4%	363
AlWood CUSD 225	Henry	25.7%	363
Shiloh CUSD 1	Edgar	12.6%	362
Harrison SD 36	McHenry	11.3%	362
Bluford Unit School District 318	Jefferson	23.5%	360
Intrinsic 2 Charter High School	Cook		360
Tri Point CUSD 6-J	Livingston	21.1%	359
North Wayne CUSD 200	Wayne	33.9%	359
Martinsville CUSD 3C	Clark	20.5%	358
County of Union Sch Dist No43	Union	0.0%	356
Windsor CUSD 1	Shelby	20.9%	355
Bismarck Henning Rossville Alvin Cooperative High School	Vermilion	20.2%	355
Heritage CUSD 8	Champaign	42.8%	354
Waverly CUSD 6	Morgan	19.1%	349
Central City SD 133	Marion	26.7%	347
Century CUSD 100	Pulaski	14.7%	347
Mulberry Grove CUSD 1	Bond	22.5%	346
Vienna HSD 133	Johnson	27.3%	344
Central Stickney SD 110	Cook	27.0%	340
High Mount SD 116	Saint Clair	19.6%	339
Griggsville-Perry CUSD 4	Pike	16.0%	334
Sandridge SD 172	Cook		333
V I T CUSD 2	Fulton	17.9%	327
DePue USD 103	Bureau	16.8%	327
Bronzeville Academy Chtr School	Cook	5.3%	326
Annawan CUSD 226	Henry	28.4%	326
Elgin Math and Science Academy Charter School	Kane	30.1%	324
Orangeville CUSD 203	Stephenson	51.6%	321
Beecher City CUSD 20	Effingham	27.8%	320
Waltonville CUSD 1	Jefferson	28.4%	319
Northwestern CUSD 2	Macoupin	11.9%	319
Cowden-Herrick CUSD 3A	Shelby	20.6%	316
Hutsonville CUSD 1	Crawford	33.8%	314
Flanagan-Cornell Dist 74	Livingston	16.7%	314
University of Ill Lab School	State Of Illinois		314
Pleasant Hill CUSD 3	Pike	11.3%	311
Virginia CUSD 64	Cass	34.5%	307
Illini West H S Dist 307	Hancock	26.9%	306
Lowpoint-Washburn CUSD 21	Woodford	29.9%	306
Thompsonville CUSD 174	Franklin	13.3%	304
Signal Hill SD 181	Saint Clair	26.8%	303
Palestine CUSD 3	Crawford	8.2%	301
Fairmont SD 89	Will	12.8%	301
Clay City CUSD 10	Clay	21.0%	298
Monroe SD 70	Peoria	53.9%	298
South Fork SD 14	Christian	14.6%	296
Williamsfield CUSD 210	Knox	40.8%	296
Astoria CUSD 1	Fulton	21.6%	295
Chester-East Lincoln CCSD 61	Logan	40.7%	291
Cairo USD 1	Alexander	1.9%	291
Bartonville SD 66	Peoria	11.3%	291
St Anne CCSD 256	Kankakee	20.1%	289
Edgar County CUD 6	Edgar	26.5%	287
Winfield SD 34	Dupage	42.8%	287
Emmons SD 33	Lake	43.8%	287
Morrisonville CUSD 1	Christian	22.1%	284
Shawnee CUSD 84	Union	11.7%	284
Cissna Park CUSD 6	Iroquois		283
Spoon River Valley CUSD 4	Fulton	36.1%	282
Summersville SD 79	Jefferson	40.3%	278
Franklin CUSD 1	Morgan	26.8%	273
Bement CUSD 5	Piatt	26.5%	272
Scales Mound CUSD 211	Jo Daviess	33.8%	264
Oak Grove SD 68 Bartonville	Peoria	22.4%	264
Grayville CUSD 1	White	15.5%	262
Dongola USD 66	Union	9.1%	262
Riley CCSD 18	McHenry	45.0%	258
Field CCSD 3	Jefferson	16.0%	257
Rossville-Alvin CUSD 7	Vermilion	24.5%	256
Elwood CCSD 203	Will	55.0%	255
Mazon-Verona-Kinsman ESD 2C	Grundy	21.5%	254
Carbon Cliff-Barstow SD 36	Rock Island	8.3%	254
Taft SD 90	Will	20.8%	247
Prairieview-Ogden CCSD 197	Champaign	35.6%	242
Selmaville CCSD 10	Marion	39.7%	241
Oakland CUSD 5	Coles	23.1%	240
Germantown SD 60	Clinton	59.0%	240
Leland CUSD 1	La Salle	15.6%	238
Spring Garden Community Consolidated School District 178	Jefferson	32.9%	237
Patoka CUSD 100	Marion	14.7%	236
Donovan CUSD 3	Iroquois	45.3%	236
Rockdale SD 84	Will	22.0%	236
Thornton SD 154	Cook		230
Joppa-Maple Grove UD 38	Massac	22.8%	230
Edinburg CUSD 4	Christian	7.5%	228
Dwight Twp HSD 230	Livingston	18.8%	228
Hampton SD 29	Rock Island	39.6%	226
Giant City CCSD 130	Jackson	62.3%	225
Iuka CCSD 7	Marion	61.5%	224
Newark CCSD 66	Kendall	46.4%	223
Raccoon Cons SD 1	Marion	40.4%	220
East Coloma - Nelson CESD 20	Whiteside	14.7%	220
Odin PSD 722	Marion	10.1%	219
Ewing Northern CCSD 115	Franklin	46.4%	218
Gen George Patton SD 133	Cook	3.2%	217
Riverview CCSD 2	Woodford	12.5%	215
New Simpson Hill SD 32	Johnson	31.1%	214
Scott-Morgan CUSD 2	Scott	20.6%	210
Rosemont ESD 78	Cook	32.8%	210
Montmorency CCSD 145	Whiteside	21.9%	208
Greenview CUSD 200	Menard	12.8%	207
Nauvoo-Colusa CUSD 325	Hancock	32.1%	203
Grand Ridge CCSD 95	La Salle	45.8%	202
West Lincoln-Broadwell ESD 92	Logan	23.4%	200
Meredosia-Chambersburg CUSD 11	Morgan	12.1%	198
La Harpe CSD 347	Hancock	16.0%	198
Bartelso SD 57	Clinton	70.6%	197
Limestone Walters CCSD 316	Peoria	37.6%	197
Rankin CSD 98	Tazewell	35.4%	193
La Moille CUSD 303	Bureau	8.8%	192
Gardner S Wilmington Twp HSD 73	Grundy	32.7%	191
Coulterville USD 1	Randolph	15.4%	191
Kansas CUSD 3	Edgar	27.8%	189
Pleasant Hill SD 69	Peoria	12.3%	189
South Pekin SD 137	Tazewell	16.1%	189
St Rose SD 14-15	Clinton	42.9%	187
Bethel SD 82	Jefferson	15.8%	185
DeSoto Cons SD 86	Jackson	18.5%	185
Dallas ESD 327	Hancock	19.1%	182
New Hope CCSD 6	Wayne	61.0%	181
Waltham CCSD 185	La Salle	53.0%	180
Deland-Weldon CUSD 57	Piatt	26.3%	179
Albers SD 63	Clinton	60.4%	178
Hartsburg Emden CUSD 21	Logan	31.3%	176
Jasper CCSD 17	Wayne	46.2%	174
ACE Amandla Charter School	Cook		171
St Anne CHSD 302	Kankakee	17.4%	170
Willow Grove SD 46	Clinton	13.8%	169
Gardner CCSD 72C	Grundy	19.5%	168
Newark CHSD 18	Kendall	40.9%	168
Burnham SD 154-5	Cook	9.3%	166
CCSD 204	Perry	11.1%	165
Grass Lake SD 36	Lake	29.7%	164
Ladd CCSD 94	Bureau	16.2%	163
Pembroke CCSD 259	Kankakee	9.1%	163
Miller Twp CCSD 210	La Salle	40.0%	161
Gifford CCSD 188	Champaign	31.8%	160
Bannockburn SD 106	Lake	72.3%	154
Robein SD 85	Tazewell	48.0%	150
Opdyke-Belle-Rive CCSD 5	Jefferson	33.7%	147
Bradford CUSD 1	Stark	42.5%	147
Brooklyn UD 188	Saint Clair		146
Rondout SD 72	Lake	67.5%	141
Thomasboro CCSD 130	Champaign	15.2%	140
Dimmick Community Consolidated SD #175	La Salle	37.4%	139
Armstrong Twp HSD 225	Vermilion	24.1%	137
Odell CCSD 435	Livingston	21.0%	136
Potomac CUSD 10	Vermilion	12.2%	135
Allendale CCSD 17	Wabash	42.5%	132
Lick Creek CCSD 16	Union	23.5%	131
Tonica CCSD 79	La Salle	22.2%	131
Hollis Cons SD 328	Peoria	58.3%	131
Saunemin CCSD 438	Livingston	26.3%	128
Prairie Du Rocher CCSD 134	Randolph	39.7%	125
Cypress SD 64	Johnson	14.8%	120
Ashley CCSD 15	Washington	31.7%	119
Damiansville SD 62	Clinton	37.5%	113
North Wamac SD 186	Clinton	25.0%	109
Brussels CUSD 42	Calhoun	21.7%	106
Union SD 81	Will	67.3%	105
Paw Paw CUSD 271	Lee	18.2%	99
Braceville SD 75	Grundy	3.2%	96
Lisbon CCSD 90	Kendall	79.1%	95
Cornell CCSD 426	Livingston	17.5%	94
Creston CCSD 161	Ogle	33.8%	94
Shirland CCSD 134	Winnebago	51.6%	93
Kell Cons SD 2	Marion	21.7%	88
Kings Cons SD 144	Ogle	36.2%	87
Venice CUSD 3	Madison		85
Malden CCSD 84	Bureau	37.9%	83
Urban Prep West Charter School	Cook	0.0%	82
Geff CCSD 14	Wayne	26.5%	82
Nettle Creek CCSD 24C	Grundy	39.3%	82
New Holland-Middletown ED 88	Logan	21.3%	80
Allen-Otter Creek CCSD 65	La Salle	16.7%	79
IDJJ Sch Dist 428	Dept Of Corrections		79
Tamaroa School Dist 5	Perry	26.8%	78
South Wilmington CCSD 74	Grundy	25.9%	76
Armstrong-Ellis Cons SD 61	Vermilion	27.5%	75
Grand Prairie CCSD 6	Jefferson	11.4%	73
Rutland CCSD 230	La Salle	46.7%	71
Ohio CCSD 17	Bureau	31.7%	69
Deer Park CCSD 82	La Salle	33.3%	69
Eswood CCSD 269	Ogle	41.5%	68
Dalzell SD 98	Bureau	72.1%	62
Oakdale CCSD 1	Washington	28.2%	60
Crescent Iroquois CUSD 249	Iroquois		60
Irvington CCSD 11	Washington	9.1%	59
Farrington CCSD 99	Jefferson	37.1%	58
Ludlow CCSD 142	Champaign	5.4%	56
Buncombe Cons SD 43	Johnson	2.9%	56
Akin CCSD 91	Franklin	44.2%	55
St Libory Cons SD 30	Saint Clair	41.0%	54
Lostant CUSD 425	La Salle	32.4%	53
Rooks Creek CCSD 425	Livingston	33.3%	51
Steward ESD 220	Lee		51
McClellan CCSD 12	Jefferson	26.9%	46
Spring Lake CCSD 606	Tazewell	39.5%	37
Ohio CHSD 505	Bureau		32

Illinois scores for English language arts

Porter to step down as NYC school chancellor, clearing the way for Adams to make his pick

2021-12-01T12:38:16+00:00

Meisha Porter will step down as New York City schools chancellor when Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tenure comes to a close at the end of the year, she announced Wednesday morning.

Porter, who rose up through the ranks of city schools, stepped in to lead the nation’s largest school system in March following the sudden resignation of Richard Carranza, becoming the first Black woman in the position.

Her departure, which she announced on NY1, clears the way for Mayor-elect Eric Adams to select a new schools chief. He is expected to tap David Banks, a mentor to Porter and head of the Eagle Academy Foundation, which supports six all-boys public schools in New York and New Jersey. Adams has signaled that he will announce his pick for chancellor after he returns from an overseas trip on Dec. 8.

Porter, who has worked in the education department for more than two decades, will become the inaugural CEO of a new nonprofit called the Bronx Community Foundation next year. The organization describes itself as advocating for “social, economic, environmental and racial justice,” as well as access to “quality education,” in the Bronx — the borough where Porter worked most of her career.

“So many families in the Bronx, my family included — I raised my family in the Bronx — have depended on and relied on schools as our second home and our second community partnership, and I really look forward to working with schools to build out those partnerships,” Porter said on NY1.

In a statement, de Blasio described Porter as working “tirelessly and fearlessly” on behalf of students and highlighted their efforts to fully reopen city schools after the pandemic shuttered buildings.

“There is no doubt in my mind that she will bring the same determination and passion to her work serving Bronx families,” he said.

Some observers wondered if Porter would stay at the education department under Adams, though recent mayors have opted to appoint their own schools chancellor upon taking office. An education department spokesperson did not say whether Porter sought to keep her job or take another role under the Adams administration. In response to a similar question from NY1, Porter said: “I never looked for this job. And so I haven’t campaigned one day for this job. I’ve spent every single day in this seat, doing the job and what’s what I intend to do.”

Porter became chancellor during one of the most turbulent times in the school system’s history. The coronavirus pandemic had already upended in-person schooling for a year, with a majority of students learning remotely full-time — which not only exacerbated long-standing inequities in the education system, but also socially isolated many students. To help ease the transition back to school this year, Porter helped launch a universal summer school program that was widely embraced by many families despite a rocky start.

Chancellor Meisha Porter visits P.S. 15 in Red Hook on her first day as chancellor.

Porter was then charged with executing de Blasio’s goal of bringing the city’s roughly 1 million public school students back into buildings this school year. The administration largely achieved that goal, though nearly 2,800 classrooms — or about 4% of such spaces — have been temporarily closed so far this school year due to positive COVID cases. Even so, many educators report that both they and their students are happy to be back in the classroom, and just under 1% of students have tested positive for COVID since September, according to public data.

But the process was not without hiccups. There were legal battles surrounding the city’s vaccine mandate for educators — which Porter has said was one of the most challenging efforts of her tenure — followed by staffing shortages at some schools. There have also been busing delays, concerns about ventilation, and some parents opting to keep their children at home out of health and safety concerns — prompting some to be contacted by child protective services.

Her tenure also saw a historic infusion of federal and state money into New York City schools, resulting in billions of dollars in new investments. That includes providing every school with 100% of the funding they’re owed under the city’s Fair Student Funding formula and a $635 million “academic recovery” plan. Many advocates, however, were frustrated that more money wasn’t dedicated to other things, such as lowering class sizes, or that promised plans of extra services for students with disabilities were delayed.

New York City Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter interacts with an elementary student in on the first day of classes this school year.

There are still some loose ends on Porter’s plate. Before departing at the end of the month, de Blasio and Porter have signaled they will announce middle and high school admissions policies, which have been disrupted by the pandemic and have yet to be announced for fall 2022.

Porter, a Queens native, rose from a community coordinator and teacher to leadership roles in the Bronx, including 18 years as a principal, superintendent and now, chancellor. Her appointment as the chief of city schools came with a plethora of praise from educators, parent leaders and elected officials who said she had a reputation for building trust with parents and students.

Her 10-month stint as chancellor did not afford her the opportunity to advance a complete policy vision of her own. But she was still a public face of high-profile initiatives, including the city’s efforts to vaccinate public school students. And unlike Carranza, who often criticized the district’s status as among the country’s most racially segregated, drawing attention to the mayor’s resistance to tackling the issue systemically, Porter largely hewed to the mayor’s talking points.

She was known to be a lighthearted presence at public events at schools or vaccine clinics. She often danced — once doing the electric slide during an announcement about electric school buses — or was playful with students on visits.

“For the first time in a number of chancellors, principals and superintendents are gonna feel like they have a friend, someone to talk to and someone who understands them,” Richard Kahan, the founder of Urban Assembly, who gave Porter her first teaching job, said when she was first appointed as chancellor earlier this year.

Alex Zimmerman and Carrie Melago contributed.

Philly school enrollment continues decline, while cyber charters see surge

2021-11-24T15:52:36+00:00

Philadelphia’s overall public school enrollment has dipped by about 4,300 students compared to the 2020-21 school year, falling from 202,944 last school year to 198,645 this year.

This amounts to an overall drop of 2% as district-run schools, brick-and-mortar charters and alternative schools all saw declines. But enrollment in online options has surged as families remain wary of sending their students back into buildings after nearly a full year of virtual learning due to the pandemic.

According to a Chalkbeat analysis of preliminary data provided by the district, enrollment in district-run schools declined by 4%, from 119,492 to 114,902; in charter schools by 2%, from 68,364 to 66,890; and in alternative schools, which mostly enroll those in danger of not finishing high school, by 6% — from 2,925 to 2,750.

Enrollment in the district’s small virtual academy, however, has tripled since last year, from 637 students to 1,925. The category that includes cyber charter enrollment rose by 16%, from 12,132 to 14,087. (Special education students attending approved private schools at district expense are counted in the same category as cyber charters.)

Virtual schools account for only a small fraction of the district’s total enrollment, and their gains weren’t enough to offset the district’s enrollment declines in nearly every grade. Pennsylvania’s cyber charters, which have low overall records of student achievement, are chartered by the state; the district has no control over them but must pay for any city students who enroll.

Earlier grades were the hardest hit, with elementary schools accounting for more than 80% of the drop. Every grade from first through fifth lost more than 700 students compared to last year.

The biggest enrollment decrease during the pandemic was in kindergarten, which saw a 30% drop last year compared with the 2019-2020 school year — three times the nation’s average decline in kindergarten enrollment. A Chalkbeat analysis of the data shows that kindergarten enrollment went up by about 1,100 students for the 2021-22 school year, but it is still below pre-pandemic numbers and district projections.

Diane Castelbuono, the district’s deputy chief for early learning, said she was encouraged by the increase and said kindergarten is now at 91% of capacity.

“I think we’re bouncing back,” Castelbuono said. Pre-pandemic, she said that between 95% and 96% of available kindergarten seats were normally filled.

She added that while the district is still doing outreach, “most of the families that want to send their kids back have sent their kids back” by this time in the school year.

At a Board of Education meeting last week, Superintendent William Hite said that this year’s kindergarten enrollment “is still lower, not as much as a year ago, but still lower than what has been anticipated.”

The only other grade where enrollment increased this year over last year is ninth grade.

Hite also said that school officials are working on a plan to find any missing students — those who were enrolled last year but can’t be accounted for this year.

The district has been going through a series of engagement and re-engagement activities with city agencies like the Department of Human Services, or DHS. While it is possible to track students who move from district to charter schools, or vice versa, those who move to other districts or enroll in non-public schools are harder to trace.

Johann Calhoun contributed reporting

Denver reports nearly all school staff vaccinated, but 108 could lose jobs

2021-11-19T18:26:45+00:00

Nearly all Denver Public Schools employees are now vaccinated following a mandate from the city. Superintendent Alex Marrero said Thursday that 99.1% of the district’s more than 13,700 employees had complied with the city health order to get the COVID-19 shots or an exemption.

But 108 employees are set to lose their jobs on Jan. 2 if they don’t get vaccinated or obtain an exemption before then. The school board on Thursday formally terminated the employees, but left open a window for them to get vaccinated and keep their jobs.

Board member Tay Anderson said he understands the hesitancy to get the vaccine, especially in Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities. But he said he hopes the employees will comply.

“I hope you will hear that our kids need you,” he said.

The vast majority of compliant employees have gotten the vaccine. Data shared with the school board showed that as of Nov. 8, fewer than 4% of employees had been granted a religious or medical exemption. The district has been requiring unvaccinated employees to get tested for COVID every week on their own time through COVIDCheck Colorado, which offers free testing.

The long timeline to terminate non-compliant employees makes it hard to know how the vaccine mandate will affect staffing in the 90,000-student district, which is experiencing the same shortages as many districts across the country.

The 108 non-compliant employees include 34 paraprofessionals, 12 food service workers, 11 custodians, and 11 transportation workers, according to a list provided by a district spokesperson. They also include six members of the teachers union, whose members are classroom teachers, school counselors, career and technical instructors, and others.

While most departments will be able to absorb the losses, the transportation department can’t afford to lose any bus drivers, said Jim Carpenter, the district’s deputy superintendent of operations. The department is already about 40 drivers short, he said, despite a hiring push that includes offering signing and attendance bonuses as well as medical benefits.

“In transportation, we’ve been operating on really thin margins all year,” Carpenter said. “To lose one driver is a really big deal for transportation.”

The district hasn’t had to cut routes this year, though it did consolidate some due to low ridership, Carpenter said. Nor has it had to restrict which students are eligible to ride the bus. If that changes, Carpenter said the district would communicate with families next month.

Michigan school mask tracker: Find out which districts are requiring masks and which aren’t

2021-11-12T16:45:51+00:00

The debate over whether to require students and staff to wear masks inside school buildings for the approaching school year is intensifying across Michigan, turning board meetings into battlegrounds and leaving parents pitted against each other.

The state waded into the debate Aug. 13, issuing updated guidance that strongly recommends schools require universal masking inside buildings. But like previous state guidance that urged students and staff to wear masks in schools, officials did not issue an order requiring it.

The guidance is unlikely to change the decision-making process for district leaders, said Robert McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, a school advocacy group. Schools are already adhering to or and in some cases exceeding the state recommendations.

“If MDHHS wants masks to be mandatory, they certainly can issue a new order to require that and our districts would of course reevaluate,” McCann said.

In the two weeks since the state issued the updated guidance, a handful of county health departments (in Kent, Genesee, Ottawa, Kalamazoo, Allegan, and Oakland counties) have issued orders requiring masks in schools. Several more have issued mandates in the weeks since, including Wayne, the state’s most populous county. To date, about 60% of Michigan students are required to wear a mask while attending school.

Some of the county orders mandate the masks for K-6 or K-8 students and staff. Many others require masks for students and staff in grades K-12, as well as early childhood facilities.

Chalkbeat Detroit scoured websites and news articles to provide a glimpse into what decisions district leaders have already made over this volatile issue. This mask policy tracker will continually be updated until the official start of the school year on Sept. 7.

A few things to know as you look at our tracker:

Many districts haven’t yet made decisions about whether or not to require marks. And those that have decided could make changes based on updated local, state, and federal guidance. In the last week, for instance, many districts have changed their optional mask policies and are now requiring them.
Most of the districts that are not requiring masks still strongly recommend masks be worn in schools. Some are particularly urging unvaccinated individuals to wear masks.
Even in districts where masks aren’t required, students and staff must wear them on school buses and other forms of school transportation. That’s due to a federal order requiring masks on public transportation.

Michigan has more than 800 school districts and charter schools. If you have information about a district that isn’t included on our list, send the info to us at detroit.tips@chalkbeat.org.

District	County	Policy (Click for Source)
Allegan Public Schools	Allegan	The Allegan County health department has rescinded its health order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts will now have to decide whether to require masks or make them optional.
Hopkins Public Schools	Allegan	The Allegan County health department has rescinded its health order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts will now have to decide whether to require masks or make them optional.
Martin Public Schools	Allegan	The Allegan County health department has rescinded its health order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts will now have to decide whether to require masks or make them optional.
Otsego Public Schools	Allegan	The Allegan County health department has rescinded its health order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts will now have to decide whether to require masks or make them optional.
Plainwell Community Schools	Allegan	The Allegan County health department has rescinded its health order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts will now have to decide whether to require masks or make them optional.
Wayland Union Schools	Allegan	The Allegan County health department has rescinded its health order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts will now have to decide whether to require masks or make them optional.
Glenn Public School District	Allegan	The Allegan County health department has rescinded its health order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts will now have to decide whether to require masks or make them optional.
Fennville Public Schools	Allegan	The Allegan County health department has rescinded its health order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts will now have to decide whether to require masks or make them optional.
Atherton Community Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Beecher Community School District	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Davison Community Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Genesee School District	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Goodrich Area Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Lake Fenton Community Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Linden Community Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Swartz Creek Community Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Westwood Heights Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools	Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Parchment School District	Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Schoolcraft Community Schools	Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Vicksburg Community Schools	Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Gull Lake Community Schools	Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Climax-Scotts Community Schools	Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them. The district says it is reviewing its options in light of the order.
Comstock Public Schools	Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them. The district says it will comply with the order.
Byron Center Public Schools	Kent*	Kent County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Caledonia Community Schools	Kent*	Kent County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Comstock Park Public Schools	Kent*	Kent County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
East Grand Rapids Public Schools	Kent*	Kent County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools	Kent*	Kent County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Lowell Area Schools	Kent*	Kent County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Northview Public School District	Kent*	Kent County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Sparta Area Schools	Kent*	Kent County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Thornapple Kellogg School District	Kent*	Kent County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Wyoming Public Schools	Kent*	Kent County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Mar Lee School District	Calhoun	Masks are not required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
West Iron County Public Schools	Iron	Masks are not required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Harper Creek Community Schools	Calhoun	Masks are not required in school buildings.
Pennfield Schools	Calhoun	Masks are not required in school buildings.
Kelloggsville Public Schools	Kent*	Masks are required for all inside school buildings.
Ann Arbor Public Schools	Washtenaw	Masks are required for all inside school buildings.
Godwin Heights Public Schools	Kent*	Masks are required for all students and staff in school buildings and on school buses.
Monroe Public Schools	Monroe	Masks are required for anyone entering an elementary building. Masks are required at secondary schools when the county's COVID transmission rates are "moderate" or higher. The current level is high, which requires masks.
Fenton Area Public Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Mattawan Consolidated School	Van Buren, Kalamazoo	Masks are required for K-6 grades, but optional for grades 7-12. Masks are required for 7-8 grades if students or adults are interacting with 6th graders.
Bessemer Area School District	Gogebic	Masks are required for K-6 students and staff, and optional for grades 7-12. Masks are required for all on school buses.
Bendle Public Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Bentley Community Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Kearsley Community Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
LakeVille Community Schools	Genesee	Masks are required for students and staff in grades PreK-12. The mask requirement doesn't apply to Columbiaville Elementary because it is located in Lapeer County and not subject to a mask order from the Genesee County Health Department.
Clio Area School District	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Montrose Community Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
DeWitt Public Schools	Clinton	Masks are required for K-8 students and staff, and recommended for high school students and staff, based on current COVID transmission levels. Masks are required on school buses.
Flushing Community Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Grand Blanc Community Schools	Genesee	Genesee County has issued an order requiring masks worn inside school buildings by students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Kent City Community Schools	Kent*	Masks are required for students and staff in grades PreK-6, and optional for grades 7-8.
Rockford Public Schools	Kent*	Masks are required for students and staff in grades PreK-6, and optional for grades 7-8.
Hamilton Community Schools	Ottawa*	Masks are required for students and staff in grades PreK-6, and optional for grades 7-8.
Grandville Public Schools	Kent*	Masks are required for students and staff in grades PreK-6, and optional for grrades 7-8. Masks must be worn by all on school buses.
Jenison Public Schools	Ottawa*	Masks are required for students and staff in grades PreK-6, but optional for grades 7-8.
Cedar Springs Public Schools	Kent*	Masks are required for students and staff in PreK-6th grade, but are optional for grades 7-8 students and staff. Masks must be worn by all on school buses.
Kenowa Hills Public Schools	Kent*	Masks are required for studfents and staff in grades K-6, but optional for grades 7-8. Masks must be worn on school buses.
Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools	Genesee	Masks are required in school buildings
Holt Public Schools	Ingham	Masks are required in school buildings
Fitzgerald Public Schools	Macomb	Masks are required in school buildings
School District of the City of Royal Oak	Oakland	Masks are required in school buildings
Bloomfield Hills School District	Oakland	Masks are required in school buildings
Saginaw City School District	Saginaw	Masks are required in school buildings
Dexter Community School District	Washtenaw	Masks are required in school buildings
Detroit City School District	Wayne	Masks are required in school buildings
Ferndale Public Schools	Oakland	Masks are required in school buildings and on buses
Eaton Rapids Public Schools	Eaton	The Barry-Eaton District Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for students and staff in K-12 schools. The district had previously planned to require masks in school buildings and on buses.
Battle Creek Public Schools	Calhoun	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
Haslett Public Schools	Ingham	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
Leland Public School District	Leelanau	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
Mt. Clemens Community School District	Macomb	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
East Detroit Public Schools	Macomb	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
South Lake Schools	Macomb	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
Van Dyke Public Schools	Macomb	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
Oak Park City School District	Oakland	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
Holland City School District	Ottawa	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
Spring Lake Public Schools	Ottawa	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
Milan Area Schools	Washtenaw	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
Lincoln Consolidated School District	Washtenaw	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
Melvindale-North Allen Park Schools	Wayne	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
Allen Park Public Schools	Wayne	Masks are required in school buildings and on school buses.
Mt. Pleasant City School District	Isabella	Masks are required in school buildings for students 12 and younger, and optional for older students.
Forest Hills Public Schools	Kent	Masks are required in school buildings for students in grades K-6, and any other unvaccinated individuals. Masks must also be worn on school buses.
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools	Wayne	Masks are required in school buildings when the county transmission level is "substantial" or "high." The current level is high.
Lansing Public School District	Ingham	Masks are required in school buildings, and on school buses.
Benton Harbor Area Schools	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district had previously required masks for all inside school buildings.
Marshall Public Schools	Calhoun	Masks are required in school buildings.
Grand Ledge Public Schools	Eaton	The Barry-Eaton District Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for students and staff in K-12 schools. The district had previously planned to require masks in school buildings.
Warren Consolidated Schools	Macomb	Masks are required in school buildings.
Berkley School District	Oakland	Masks are required in school buildings.
Hazel Park City School District	Oakland	Masks are required in school buildings.
West Bloomfield School District	Oakland	Masks are required in school buildings.
Grand Haven Area Public Schools	Ottawa	Masks are required in school buildings.
School District of Ypsilanti	Washtenaw	Masks are required in school buildings.
Hamtramck Public Schools	Wayne	Masks are required in school buildings.
Riverview Community School District	Wayne	Masks are required in school buildings.
Crestwood School District	Wayne	Masks are required in school buildings.
Kalamazoo Public School District	Kalamazoo	Masks are required in school buildings. The mask mandate will be reviewed before the beginning of the second trimester.
Troy School District	Oakland	Masks are required inside school buildings.
Northville Public Schools	Wayne	Masks are required when county transmission levels are considered moderate, substantial or high. The county level is currently high, though the district says it will also take local metrics into consideration.
Watervliet School District	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district previously planned to require masks based on COVID transmission levels.
South Haven Public Schools	Van Buren	Masks are required when the county transmission level is substantial or high. The current level is high.
Bay City School District	Bay	Masks likely will not be required in school buildings.
Wakefield-Marenisco School District	Gogebic	Masks likely will not be required in school buildings.
Buchanan Community Schools	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Constantine Public School District	St. Joseph	Masks will be required based on the level of transmission of COVID.
Ecorse Public School District	Wayne	Masks will be required in school buildings
Kentwood Public Schools	Kent	Masks will be required in school buildings and on school buses.
Dearborn City School District	Wayne	Masks will be required in school buildings and on school buses.
South Redford School District	Wayne	Masks will be required in school buildings.
Flint City School District	Genesee	Masks will be required in schools and on buses.
New Haven Community Schools	Macomb	Masks will not be required for students in school buildings. Staff must wear masks, unless they show they are fully vaccinated.
Niles Community School District	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Escanaba Area Public Schools	Delta	Masks will not be required in school buildings
Howell Public Schools	Livingston	Masks will not be required in school buildings
Romeo Community Schools	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings
Ewen-Trout Creek Consolidated School District	Ontonagon	Masks will not be required in school buildings
Cass City Public Schools	Tuscola	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but most be worn on school buses.
Bad Axe Public Schools	Huron	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses
Alpena Public Schools	Alpena	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Standish-Sterling Community Schools	Arenac	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Au Gres-Sims School District	Arenac	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Baraga Area Schools	Baraga	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Delton-Kellogg School District	Barry	The Barry-Eaton District Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for students and staff in K-12 schools. Districts will now decide whether to make masks mandatory or optional.
Hastings Area School District	Barry	The Barry-Eaton District Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for students and staff in K-12 schools. Districts will now decide whether to make masks mandatory or optional.
Bangor Township Schools	Bay	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Pinconning Area Schools	Bay	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Brandywine Community Schools	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Sodus Township S/D #5	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Union City Community Schools	Branch	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Coldwater Community Schools	Branch	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Homer Community Schools	Calhoun	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Edwardsburg Public Schools	Cass	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Farwell Area Schools	Clare	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Harrison Community Schools	Clare	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
St. Johns Public Schools	Clinton	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Crawford AuSable Schools	Crawford	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Charlotte Public Schools	Eaton	The Barry-Eaton District Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for students and staff in K-12 schools. Districts will now decide whether to make masks mandatory or optional.
Potterville Public Schools	Eaton	The Barry-Eaton District Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for students and staff in K-12 schools. Districts will now decide whether to make masks mandatory or optional.
Bellevue Community Schools	Eaton	The Barry-Eaton District Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for students and staff in K-12 schools. Districts will now decide whether to make masks mandatory or optional.
Traverse City Area Public Schools	Grand Traverse	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Alma Public Schools	Gratiot	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Ithaca Public Schools	Gratiot	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
St. Louis Public Schools	Gratiot	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Ashley Community Schools	Gratiot	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Mason Public Schools (Ingham)	Ingham	The Ingham County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks for PreK-12 students and staff inside school buildings. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Ionia Public Schools	Ionia	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Portland Public School District	Ionia	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Shepherd Public School District	Isabella	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Springport Public Schools	Jackson	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Vandercook Lake Public Schools	Jackson	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Portage Public Schools	Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades K-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Kalkaska Public Schools	Kalkaska	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Imlay City Community Schools	Lapeer	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Lapeer Community Schools	Lapeer	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
North Branch Area Schools	Lapeer	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Almont Community Schools	Lapeer	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Dryden Community Schools	Lapeer	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Addison Community Schools	Lenawee	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Anchor Bay School District	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Lakeview Public Schools (Macomb)	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Richmond Community Schools	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Armada Area Schools	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Manistee Area Schools	Manistee	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Big Rapids Public Schools	Mecosta	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Montabella Community Schools	Montcalm	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Mona Shores Public School District	Muskegon	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Holton Public Schools	Muskegon	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
West Branch-Rose City Area Schools	Ogemaw	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Ontonagon Area Schools	Ontonagon	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Pine River Area Schools	Osceola	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Fairview Area School District	Oscoda	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Mio-AuSable Schools	Oscoda	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Zeeland Public Schools	Ottawa	Ottawa County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Houghton Lake Community Schools	Roscommon	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Roscommon Area Public Schools	Roscommon	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Chesaning Union Schools	Saginaw	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Hemlock Public School District	Saginaw	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Merrill Community Schools	Saginaw	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Birch Run Area School District	Saginaw	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
New Lothrop Area Public Schools	Shiawassee	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Corunna Public School District	Shiawassee	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Caro Community Schools	Tuscola	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Cadillac Area Public Schools	Wexford	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Jackson Public Schools	Jackson	Masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Alcona Community Schools	Alcona	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Munising Public Schools	Alger	Masks are required in school buildings and on buses.
Burt Township School District	Alger	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Superior Central Schools	Alger	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
L'Anse Area Schools	Baraga	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Essexville-Hampton Public Schools	Bay	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Eau Claire Public Schools	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Lakeshore School District (Berrien)	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Coloma Community Schools	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
River Valley School District	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
St. Joseph Public Schools	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Hagar Township S/D #6	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Berrien Springs Public Schools	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Bronson Community School District	Branch	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Dowagiac Union School District	Cass	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Cassopolis Public Schools	Cass	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Brimley Area Schools	Chippewa	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools	Chippewa	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Whitefish Township Schools	Chippewa	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Clare Public Schools	Clare	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Ovid-Elsie Area Schools	Clinton	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Bark River-Harris School District	Delta	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Breitung Township Schools	Dickinson	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
North Dickinson County Schools	Dickinson	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Norway-Vulcan Area Schools	Dickinson	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Ironwood Area Schools	Gogebic	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Breckenridge Community Schools	Gratiot	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Jonesville Community Schools	Hillsdale	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Waldron Area Schools	Hillsdale	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Adams Township School District	Houghton	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Adrian City School District	Lenawee	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Brighton Area Schools	Livingston	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Clintondale Community Schools	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Chippewa Valley Schools	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Utica Community Schools	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
L'Anse Creuse Public Schools	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Lake Shore Public Schools (Macomb)	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Roseville Community Schools	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Warren Woods Public Schools	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Negaunee Public Schools	Marquette	The Marquette County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks for students in grades PreK-6. Districts can make their own decisions about grades 7-12. Previously, the district was not requiring masks inside school buildings.
Menominee Area Public Schools	Menominee	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
North Central Area Schools	Menominee	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Stephenson Area Public Schools	Menominee	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Newaygo Public School District	Newaygo	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Frankenmuth School District	Saginaw	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Huron School District	Wayne	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Hillsdale Community Schools	Hillsdale	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Fraser Public Schools	Macomb	Masks will not be required in school buildings.
Archdiocese of Detroit Catholic Schools	Macomb, Oakland, Lapeer, Monroe, St. Clair, Wayne	Masks are required in Wayne and Oakland county schools. In counties without a mandate, masks will not be required in school buildings. Individual schools may establish policies that go above the Archdiocese guidelines.
Mason County Central Schools	Mason	Masks will not be required unless there is a local or state mandate, or if transmission levels require them. Masks are required on school buses.
West Ottawa Public School District	Ottawa	Ottawa County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Allendale Public School District	Ottawa*	Ottawa County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Coopersville Area Public School District	Ottawa*	Ottawa County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Hudsonville Public School District	Ottawa*	Ottawa County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Saugatuck Public Schools	Ottawa*	Ottawa County has issued an order requiring masks worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make masks optional for grades 7-8 or mandate them.
Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools	Benzie	The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department has issued an order requiring masks inside school buildings for students and staff in grades K-12.
Benzie County Central Schools	Benzie	The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department has issued an order requiring masks inside school buildings for students and staff in grades K-12.
Suttons Bay Public Schools	Leelanau	The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department has issued an order requiring masks inside school buildings for students and staff in grades K-12.
Glen Lake Community Schools	Leelanau	The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department has issued an order requiring masks inside school buildings for students and staff in grades K-12.
Northport Public School District	Leelanau	The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department has issued an order requiring masks inside school buildings for students and staff in grades K-12.
Grand Rapids Public Schools	Kent	The district announced Aug. 16 that it would require masks to be worn in school buildings. Previously, the district had a mask optional policy.
Elk Rapids Schools	Antrim	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County.
Bellaire Public Schools	Antrim	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County.
Central Lake Public Schools	Antrim	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County.
East Jordan Public Schools	Charlevoix	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County.
Beaver Island Community School	Charlevoix	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County.
Charlevoix Public Schools	Charlevoix	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County.
Harbor Springs School District	Emmet	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County.
Mackinaw City Public Schools	Emmet	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County.
Pellston Public Schools	Emmet	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County.
Gaylord Community Schools	Otsego	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County.
Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools	Otsego	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County.
Vanderbilt Area Schools	Otsego	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County.
Boyne Falls Public School District	Charlevoix	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional for some, required for others.
Ellsworth Community School	Antrim	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Mancelona Public Schools	Antrim	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Boyne City Public Schools	Charlevoix	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County. The district previously planned to make mask wearing optional.
Alba Public Schools	Antrim	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County. The district previously planned to make masks optional.
Public Schools of Petoskey	Emmet	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County. The district previously planned to require masks when county COVID transmission levels are substantial or high.
Alanson Public Schools	Emmet	The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has issued an order requiring students and staff in grades K-12 to wear a mask inside school buildings. The order covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Otsego County. The district previously planned to require masks when COVID transmission levels are substantial or high.
Huron Valley Schools	Oakland	The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Lamphere Public Schools	Oakland	The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Pontiac City School District	Oakland	The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Waterford School District	Oakland	The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Avondale School District	Oakland	The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Clawson Public Schools	Oakland	The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12.
Chelsea School District	Washtenaw	The Washtenaw County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be worn for K-12 students and staff inside school buildings. The district had previously planned to make masks optional.
Manchester Community Schools	Washtenaw	The Washtenaw County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be worn for K-12 students and staff inside school buildings. The district had previously planned to make masks required only when transmission levels are high.
Saline Area Schools	Washtenaw	The Washtenaw County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be worn for K-12 students and staff inside school buildings. The district had previously planned to require masks based on grade level and the amount of COVID transmission in the community
Whitmore Lake Public Schools	Washtenaw	The Washtenaw County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be worn for K-12 students and staff inside school buildings. The district had previously planned to require masks for grades PreK-6.
Southgate Community School District	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Grosse Pointe Public Schools	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Livonia Public Schools	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Taylor School District	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Woodhaven-Brownstown School District	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Wyandotte City School District	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Flat Rock Community Schools	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Gibraltar School District	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Grosse Ile Township Schools	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Romulus Community Schools	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Trenton Public Schools	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Van Buren Public Schools	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Wayne-Westland Community School District	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Clarenceville School District	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Dearborn Heights School District #7	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Garden City School District	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Lincoln Park Public Schools	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Redford Union School District	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
River Rouge School District	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Westwood Community Schools	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Highland Park City Schools	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
City of Harper Woods Schools	Wayne	The Wayne County Health Department has issued an order requiring all K-12 schools and day care facilities to mandate masks for all students and staff.
Holly Area School District	Oakland	UPDATE: The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12. The district previoiusly said masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Farmington Public School District	Oakland	UPDATE: The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12. The district previously said a decision on whether masks are required will be based on the level of COVID transmission in Oakland County. Currently, the county level is "high," a level that would require masks.
Oxford Community Schools	Oakland	UPDATE: The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12. The district previously said it doesn't intend to require masks in school buildings.
South Lyon Community Schools	Oakland	UPDATE: The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12. The district previously said masks are not required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Birmingham City School District	Oakland	UPDATE: The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12. The district previously said masks are required for students and staff in grades K-8 in school buildings, but that high school students are required to wear masks when Oakland County is in the "substantial" or "high" transmission phase (the current phase is "high.").
Novi Community School District	Oakland	UPDATE: The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12. The district previously said masks likely will not be required in school buildings.
Clarkston Community School District	Oakland	UPDATE: The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12. The district previously said masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Lake Orion Community Schools	Oakland	UPDATE: The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12. The district previously said masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Southfield Public School District	Oakland	UPDATE: The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12. The district previously said masks will not be required in school buildings, but must be worn on school buses.
Rochester Community School District	Oakland	UPDATE: The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12. The district previously said masks will not be required in school buildings.
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools	Oakland	UPDATE: The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12. The district previously said masks will not be required in school buildings.
Madison Public Schools (Oakland)	Oakland	UPDATE: The Oakland County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be work by all students and staff in grades PreK-12. The district previously said masks will not be required inside school buildings.
Sigel Township S/D #3F	Huron	#N/A
Sigel Township S/D #4F	Huron	#N/A
Verona Township S/D #1F	Huron	#N/A
Church School District	Huron	#N/A
Colfax Township S/D #1F	Huron	#N/A
Port Hope Community Schools	#N/A	#N/A
Sigel Township S/D #6	#N/A	#N/A
AuTrain-Onota Public Schools	Alger
Arvon Township School District	Baraga
New Buffalo Area Schools	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. Districts will now have to decide whether to make masks mandatory or optional.
Bridgman Public Schools	Berrien	The Berrien County Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for K-12 students and staff. Districts will now have to decide whether to make masks mandatory or optional.
Quincy Community School District	Branch
Lakeview Sch. District (Calhoun)	Calhoun
Tekonsha Community Schools	Calhoun
Athens Area Schools	Calhoun
Marcellus Community Schools	Cass
Inland Lakes Schools	Cheboygan
Cheboygan Area Schools	Cheboygan
Wolverine Community Schools	Cheboygan
Pickford Public Schools	Chippewa
Rudyard Area Schools	Chippewa
DeTour Area Schools	Chippewa
Fowler Public Schools	Clinton
Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools	Clinton
Bath Community Schools	Clinton
Gladstone Area Schools	Delta
Mid Peninsula School District	Delta
Rapid River Public Schools	Delta
Big Bay De Noc School District	Delta
Iron Mountain Public Schools	Dickinson
Maple Valley Schools	Eaton	The Barry-Eaton District Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for students and staff in K-12 schools. Districts will now decide whether to make masks mandatory or optional.
Olivet Community Schools	Eaton	The Barry-Eaton District Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for students and staff in K-12 schools. Districts will now decide whether to make masks mandatory or optional.
Oneida Township S/D #3	Eaton	The Barry-Eaton District Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for students and staff in K-12 schools. Districts will now decide whether to make masks mandatory or optional.
Waverly Community Schools	Eaton	The Barry-Eaton District Health Department has rescinded an order requiring masks for students and staff in K-12 schools. Districts will now decide whether to make masks mandatory or optional.
Gladwin Community Schools	Gladwin
Beaverton Rural Schools	Gladwin
Watersmeet Township School District	Gogebic
Kingsley Area Schools	Grand Traverse
Fulton Schools	Gratiot
Litchfield Community Schools	Hillsdale
Pittsford Area Schools	Hillsdale
Reading Community Schools	Hillsdale
North Adams-Jerome Schools	Hillsdale
Camden-Frontier Schools	Hillsdale
Elm River Township School District	Houghton
Hancock Public Schools	Houghton
Lake Linden-Hubbell School District	Houghton
Stanton Township Public Schools	Houghton
Chassell Township School District	Houghton
Houghton-Portage Township Schools	Houghton
Dollar Bay-Tamarack City Area Schools	Houghton
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker Schools	Huron
Harbor Beach Community Schools	Huron
North Huron School District	Huron
Ubly Community Schools	Huron
Caseville Public Schools	Huron
Owendale-Gagetown Area Schools	Huron
Williamston Community Schools	Ingham	The Ingham County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks for PreK-12 students and staff inside school buildings.
East Lansing School District	Ingham	The Ingham County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks for PreK-12 students and staff inside school buildings.
Leslie Public Schools	Ingham	The Ingham County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks for PreK-12 students and staff inside school buildings.
Okemos Public Schools	Ingham	The Ingham County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks for PreK-12 students and staff inside school buildings.
Stockbridge Community Schools	Ingham	The Ingham County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks for PreK-12 students and staff inside school buildings.
Webberville Community Schools	Ingham	The Ingham County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks for PreK-12 students and staff inside school buildings.
Dansville Schools	Ingham	The Ingham County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks for PreK-12 students and staff inside school buildings.
Easton Township S/D #6	Ionia
Ionia Township S/D #2	Ionia
Lakewood Public Schools	Ionia
Saranac Community Schools	Ionia
Belding Area School District	Ionia
Berlin Township S/D #3	Ionia
Hale Area Schools	Iosco
Oscoda Area Schools	Iosco
Tawas Area Schools	Iosco
Whittemore-Prescott Area Schools	Iosco
Forest Park School District	Iron
Beal City Public Schools	Isabella
Concord Community Schools	Jackson
East Jackson Community Schools	Jackson
Grass Lake Community Schools	Jackson
Michigan Center School District	Jackson
Napoleon Community Schools	Jackson
Northwest Community Schools	Jackson
Western School District	Jackson
Columbia School District	Jackson
Hanover-Horton Schools	Jackson
Excelsior Township S/D #1	Kalkaska
Forest Area Community Schools	Kalkaska
Grant Township S/D #2	Keweenaw
Baldwin Community Schools	Lake
Hudson Area Schools	Lenawee
Madison School District (Lenawee)	Lenawee
Morenci Area Schools	Lenawee
Onsted Community Schools	Lenawee
Sand Creek Community Schools	Lenawee
Tecumseh Public Schools	Lenawee
Blissfield Community Schools	Lenawee
Clinton Community Schools	Lenawee
Britton-Macon Area School District	Lenawee
Fowlerville Community Schools	Livingston
Hartland Consolidated Schools	Livingston
Pinckney Community Schools	Livingston
Tahquamenon Area Schools	Luce
Engadine Consolidated Schools	Mackinac
Les Cheneaux Community Schools	Mackinac
Mackinac Island Public Schools	Mackinac
Moran Township School District	Mackinac
St. Ignace Area Schools	Mackinac
Bois Blanc Pines School District	Mackinac
Center Line Public Schools	Macomb
Kaleva Norman Dickson School District	Manistee
Onekama Consolidated Schools	Manistee
Bear Lake School District	Manistee
Republic-Michigamme Schools	Marquette	The Marquette County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make their own decisions about grades 7-12.
Gwinn Area Community Schools	Marquette	The Marquette County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make their own decisions about grades 7-12.
Marquette Area Public Schools	Marquette	The Marquette County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make their own decisions about grades 7-12.
Powell Township Schools	Marquette	The Marquette County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make their own decisions about grades 7-12.
Wells Township School District	Marquette	The Marquette County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make their own decisions about grades 7-12.
Ishpeming Public School District	Marquette	The Marquette County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make their own decisions about grades 7-12.
N.I.C.E. Community Schools	Marquette	The Marquette County Health Department has issued an order requiring masks be worn by students and staff in grades PreK-6. Districts can make their own decisions about grades 7-12.
Ludington Area School District	Mason
Mason County Eastern Schools	Mason
Morley Stanwood Community Schools	Mecosta
Chippewa Hills School District	Mecosta
Carney-Nadeau Public Schools	Menominee
Meridian Public Schools	Midland
Midland Public Schools	Midland
Bullock Creek School District	Midland
Coleman Community School District	Midland
Lake City Area School District	Missaukee
McBain Rural Agricultural Schools	Missaukee
Ida Public School District	Monroe
Jefferson Schools (Monroe)	Monroe
Mason Consolidated Schools (Monroe)	Monroe
Bedford Public Schools	Monroe
Dundee Community Schools	Monroe
Summerfield School District	Monroe
Whiteford Agricultural Schools	Monroe
Airport Community School District	Monroe
Greenville Public Schools	Montcalm
Lakeview Community Schools (Montcalm)	Montcalm
Tri County Area Schools	Montcalm
Vestaburg Community Schools	Montcalm
Carson City-Crystal Area Schools	Montcalm
Central Montcalm Public Schools	Montcalm
Hillman Community Schools	Montmorency
Atlanta Community Schools	Montmorency
Fruitport Community Schools	Muskegon
Montague Area Public Schools	Muskegon
North Muskegon Public Schools	Muskegon
Oakridge Public Schools	Muskegon
Orchard View Schools	Muskegon
Ravenna Public Schools	Muskegon
Reeths-Puffer Schools	Muskegon
Whitehall District Schools	Muskegon
Muskegon City School District	Muskegon
Muskegon Heights School District	Muskegon
Fremont Public School District	Newaygo
Grant Public School District	Newaygo
Hesperia Community Schools	Newaygo
White Cloud Public Schools	Newaygo
Big Jackson School District	Newaygo
Brandon School District	Oakland
Hart Public School District	Oceana
Pentwater Public School District	Oceana
Shelby Public Schools	Oceana
Walkerville Public Schools	Oceana
Evart Public Schools	Osceola
Marion Public Schools	Osceola
Reed City Area Public Schools	Osceola
Onaway Area Community School District	Presque Isle
Rogers City Area Schools	Presque Isle
Posen Consolidated School District	Presque Isle
Freeland Community School District	Saginaw
Saginaw Township Community Schools	Saginaw
St. Charles Community Schools	Saginaw
Swan Valley School District	Saginaw
Bridgeport-Spaulding Community School District	Saginaw
Croswell-Lexington Community Schools	Sanilac
Marlette Community Schools	Sanilac
Peck Community School District	Sanilac
Sandusky Community School District	Sanilac
Brown City Community Schools	Sanilac
Carsonville-Port Sanilac School District	Sanilac
Deckerville Community School District	Sanilac
Manistique Area Schools	Schoolcraft
Morrice Area Schools	Shiawassee
Owosso Public Schools	Shiawassee
Byron Area Schools	Shiawassee
Durand Area Schools	Shiawassee
Laingsburg Community School District	Shiawassee
Perry Public School District	Shiawassee
Marysville Public Schools	St. Clair
Memphis Community Schools	St. Clair
Port Huron Area School District	St. Clair
Yale Public Schools	St. Clair
Algonac Community School District	St. Clair
East China School District	St. Clair
Capac Community School District	St. Clair
Carrollton School District	St. Clair
Mendon Community School District	St. Joseph
Nottawa Community School	St. Joseph
Sturgis Public Schools	St. Joseph
Three Rivers Community Schools	St. Joseph
White Pigeon Community Schools	St. Joseph
Burr Oak Community School District	St. Joseph
Centreville Public Schools	St. Joseph
Colon Community School District	St. Joseph
Kingston Community School District	Tuscola
Mayville Community School District	Tuscola
Millington Community Schools	Tuscola
Reese Public Schools	Tuscola
Unionville-Sebewaing Area S.D.	Tuscola
Vassar Public Schools	Tuscola
Akron-Fairgrove Schools	Tuscola
Gobles Public School District	Van Buren
Lawton Community School District	Van Buren
Paw Paw Public School District	Van Buren
Bangor Township S/D #8	Van Buren
Bloomingdale Public School District	Van Buren
Covert Public Schools	Van Buren
Decatur Public Schools	Van Buren
Hartford Public School District	Van Buren
Lawrence Public School District	Van Buren
Bangor Public Schools	Van Buren
Manton Consolidated Schools	Wexford
Mesick Consolidated Schools	Wexford
Buckley Community School District	Wexford
Public Schools of Calumet	#N/A
Palo Community School District	#N/A
Arenac Eastern School District	#N/A

Look up your district’s mask policy

*Policy may change due to county order.

Annie Fu, Chalkbeat

With COVID relief money, schools across U.S. take on a bigger role in student mental health

2021-11-11T12:00:00+00:00

This story is part of an ongoing collaboration with The Associated Press about education in the wake of the pandemic.

In Kansas City, Kansas, educators are opening an after-school mental health clinic staffed with school counselors and social workers. Schools in Paterson, New Jersey, have set up social emotional learning teams to identify students dealing with crises. Chicago is staffing up “care teams” with the mission of helping struggling students on its 500-plus campuses.

With a windfall of federal coronavirus relief money at hand, schools across the U.S. are using portions to quickly expand their capacity to address students’ struggles with mental health.

While school districts have broad latitude on how to spend the aid money, the urgency of the problem has been driven home by absenteeism, behavioral issues, and quieter signs of distress as many students have returned to school buildings this fall for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit.

“Now, the tone across the country is very focused on the well-being of students.”

For some school systems, the money has boosted long-standing work to help students cope with trauma. Others have launched new efforts to screen, counsel, and treat students. All told, the investments put public schools more than ever at the center of efforts to attend to students’ overall well-being.

“In the last recession, with the last big chunk of recovery money, this conversation wasn’t happening,” said Amanda Fitzgerald, the assistant director of the American School Counselor Association. “Now, the tone across the country is very focused on the well-being of students.”

Last month, three major pediatric groups said the state of children’s mental health should be considered a national emergency. The U.S. Education Department has pointed to the distribution of the relief money as an opportunity to rethink how schools provide mental health support. Mental well-being, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has said, needs to be the foundation for the recovery from the pandemic.

The pandemic relief to schools totals $190 billion, more than four times the amount the Education Department typically spends on K-12 schools annually. Mental health investments have gone into staff training, wellness screenings, and curriculum dedicated to social-emotional learning.

Still, questions remain over how schools will find ways to make the benefits last beyond the one-time infusion of money, handle privacy concerns, and track the effectiveness of their efforts. The implementation worries Katie Dockweiler, a school psychologist in Nevada who sits on the state board of education.

Tillie the therapy dog sits among third graders at Quincy Elementary School in Topeka, Kan. Therapy animals are one of several approaches schools are taking to help students combat stress as they return to classrooms amid the ongoing pandemic.

“Not all programs are created equal,” she said. “It really comes down to how it’s implemented, school by school. And there’s great variability there.”

She said districts should develop ways of tracking the impact on students: “Otherwise, we’re just throwing our money away.”

At the top of the list for many districts has been hiring new mental health specialists. When the National Association of School Psychologists surveyed members this fall, more than half of respondents said their districts intended to add social workers, psychologists, or counselors, according to policy director Kelly Vaillancourt Strobach.

With $9.5 million from federal relief funding and outside grant money, Paterson schools added five behavioral analysts, two substance abuse coordinators, and the teams to spot students going through crises.

“I have more students just looking me in the eye and saying ‘I’m completely overwhelmed and I’m not sure how to handle it.’”

In Paterson, one of the lowest-income parts of the state, many of the 25,000 students faced food insecurity before the pandemic and struggled after family members lost jobs, Superintendent Eileen Shafer said.

“We wanted to make sure before we try to teach anything new, that we’re able to deal with where our children are right now based on what they’ve been through,” she said.

In rural Ellicottville, New York, where school psychologist Joe Prior is seeing more anxiety and a “significant increase” in panic attacks, the district wants to use rescue funds to hire a counselor to connect students with psychological help. But the position remains unfilled, as few expressed interest.

“I have more students just looking me in the eye and saying ‘I’m completely overwhelmed and I’m not sure how to handle it,’” Ellicottville high school principal Erich Ploetz said.

Elliottcott Central Schools Principal Maren Bush lets students walk and visit with her dog, Toby, as part of the district’s efforts to improve students’ mental well-being. Despite the need, the district has been unable to fill an open school counselor position.

It’s not the only district where ambitions for hiring have outstripped the number of available professionals. Some districts have turned to outside vendors to help fill mental health positions, while others are training existing staff.

The Kansas City, Kansas, school system is using some of the $918,000 in relief money dedicated to mental health to pay social workers and counselors already on staff to work at the new after-school clinic. The district also has added staff and mental health screenings.

Angela Dunn, who leads the 23,000-student district’s mental health and suicide prevention initiatives, said the mental health team has responded to 27 student deaths and 16 staff deaths since the pandemic started, double what is typical during that period. She said a handful of staff members died of COVID-19, but the rest were homicides, suicides, and overdoses.

“We just recognized that students are comfortable seeking help in a school setting.”

The investments by schools in student mental health services have raised some privacy concerns, especially where schools are now monitoring student computers for distress signals or administering mental health screenings to all students. But the idea that it’s not the place of schools to involve themselves at all has receded.

“We just recognized that students are comfortable seeking help in a school setting,” Dunn said.

Chicago, the nation’s third-largest school district, unveiled a “healing plan” for students, using $24 million of its $2.6 billion in stimulus funds.

Over three years, the district will expand “care teams” — building staff who serve as the frontline response for struggling students — to each campus. The goal is to reach 200 schools by spring.

High school principal Angélica Altamirano used some of that funding to open a space outfitted with cozy furniture and a hand-me-down air hockey table. Already, the campus center has offered grief groups for students whose family members or friends have died and helped teachers dealing with burnout.

Fifth grader Jordan Falconbury reads inside a tent while visiting a sensory room at Quincy Elementary School in Topeka, Kan. Schools there are spending $100,000 on spaces designed to help students deal with their frustrations in the classroom.

In Topeka, Kansas, $100,000 was budgeted for calming items and staff for sensory rooms, including one at Quincy Elementary. When students get so frustrated that they put their heads down on their desk, or wander into the hallway or cry, teachers can send them to the Roadrunner Room. There, they can climb into a tent and snuggle under a weighted blanket, put a puzzle together, play with sand, or build with Legos.

Dean of students Andrea Keck has watched the room become a go-to place for one student to work out frustrations.

“She can journal it, get her hair put up, whatever she needs, and then she is successful the rest of the day,” said Keck, who oversees the room.

In Detroit, the district is spending $34 million on mental health initiatives, including screening students, expanding help from outside mental health providers, and offering extra support to parents.

“As a community we have all been through something.”

On a recent Wednesday, that meant an hourlong meditation session for parents at a local coffee shop. One attendee worried her own stress was affecting her son’s ability to learn.

“As a community we have all been through something,” said Sharlonda Buckman, an assistant superintendent who participated in the session. “Part of recovery has to be some intentional work in spaces like this, so we can be there for our kids.”

Chalkbeat writers Catherine Carrera in Newark, New Jersey, Cassie Walker Burke in Chicago, and Lori Higgins in Detroit, and Associated Press writer Collin Binkley in Boston contributed to this report. Thompson reported from Ellicottville, New York, and Hollingsworth from Mission, Kansas.

Kindergarten enrollment slumped last year. Now, some schools see rebounds among youngest students

2021-11-10T12:00:00+00:00

Like many school districts, Indianapolis Public Schools saw a steep enrollment drop among its youngest students last year.

School started off remote, and many families opted not to have their young children learn online. The kindergarten class shrank to 2,430 students from 2,750 students the year before, while the preschool class was barely half its previous size.

A lot has changed since then. School is in person again, and the district’s overall enrollment is up. At 2,670 students, the kindergarten class is closer to what it was before the pandemic, and the preschool class has just a few open slots.

“We believe that we’re rebounding and that families are choosing to come back,” Superintendent Aleesia Johnson told school board members in late October.

After last year’s historic enrollment disruptions, when kindergarten enrollment fell 9% nationwide, school districts across the U.S. are reporting an uptick in their early grades as more students return to in-person learning.

Though the numbers often remain below pre-pandemic levels, the trajectory has many school leaders breathing a small sigh of relief — and could indicate some schools’ efforts to recruit and re-engage with families who left for private school or to homeschool paid off.

But the pandemic’s imprint on enrollment is still obvious, and officials nationwide say they aren’t yet confident about the longer-term trends.

Some, like Indianapolis Public Schools, didn’t see first grade enrollment declines this year, likely because children arrived after skipping kindergarten. But other elementary grades there are still smaller than they were before the pandemic began.

Patrick Herrel, the district’s enrollment director, isn’t sure if that’s a “temporary bubble” or something more. In the meantime, the district is taking a conservative approach to its enrollment projections.

“We’re going to continue to have to be really thoughtful as a district, because we do continue to wrestle with long-term financial sustainability,” he said. “It’s a challenge.”

Kindergarten enrollment is up elsewhere, too. In Miami-Dade County schools, the number of kindergartners fell from 22,800 to 20,900 last fall, but rose to around 21,600 this year. Broward County, Florida’s kindergarten class shrank from around 18,500 to 16,300 last fall, and rebounded to 17,100 this year.

In Georgia, the kindergarten class dropped from around 126,000 to 114,000 last fall, and shot up to 122,000 this year. Hawaii’s kindergarten class fell from 13,100 to 11,100 last year, and rose a bit to 11,500 this fall.

And in Arizona, where the kindergarten class was growing pre-pandemic, the number of kindergartners fell to 73,000 from just under 82,000 last fall. This year, preliminary counts have state officials estimating somewhere between 75,000 and 80,000 kindergartners.

Still, many big-city districts that were shrinking pre-pandemic saw overall enrollment drops again after experiencing especially large declines last fall.

Enrollment in New York City fell 1.9% after dropping 4.7% last year. Chicago’s student body decreased by 3% after declining 4% last fall. Miami-Dade County’s schools lost 1.5% of their enrollment, after experiencing a 3.7% drop last year, district data show. Broward County, Florida’s enrollment dipped 1.8% this fall, after dropping 2.7% last year, according to a district report.

Los Angeles schools, meanwhile, saw a larger-than-expected drop and lost 6% of their students this fall, after seeing a 4% decline last year. District officials now say they will hire more enrollment staff to work on attracting and retaining students.

“We’re still seeing the impact of COVID,” the district’s chief strategy officer, Veronica Arreguin, said, the Los Angeles Times reported. “If it’s something we can change, we need to change.”

Parents and school officials attribute the kindergarten rebounds to a combination of factors, including the return of full-time in-person instruction, waning COVID safety concerns, and vaccine availability. Kindergarten enrollment was especially depressed by virtual learning last year, researchers have found.

Jenny Rappaport’s 6-year-old son, Milo, was so upset by virtual kindergarten last year that he often hid under his desk or retreated behind blankets to avoid class. Milo has apraxia, which affects his motor and speech skills, and he found it frustrating when his teacher couldn’t understand him over Zoom. In the spring, Rappaport and her husband unenrolled Milo from his public school in Monmouth County, New Jersey and homeschooled him instead.

This fall, the family re-enrolled Milo for first grade. Milo’s teacher is better able to observe how he deciphers words as he reads in person. He’s getting speech services twice a week and he raves about his art and music classes, which were limited over Zoom. And he’s more social, bonding with a classmate over a shared love of Super Mario.

“It’s a substantially better experience,” Rappaport said. “It’s a huge relief.”

In the small southwest Michigan district of Coloma Community Schools, officials are trying to understand their spike in new kindergartners. Typically the district’s kindergarten class numbers 80 to 90 students, but this year it’s at 112, prompting the district to hire an additional teacher.

That’s “almost never happened,” said Superintendent Dave Ehlers. Now Ehlers is poring over survey data. “We do know that some of the kids told us: ‘Hey we sat out last year,’” he said.

Some districts that were growing before the pandemic are still feeling a bit knocked off course. That’s the case in suburban Detroit’s Woodhaven-Brownstown Schools, where the kindergarten class dipped last fall from 480 to around 390, and is back at 450 this year.

Officials aren’t sure how much to blame the pandemic. A drop in births meant a decline in 5-year-olds was expected around this time, but COVID also disrupted kindergarten recruitment tactics. District leaders swapped their usual enrollment fairs at local apartment complexes this summer for school buses that drove through neighborhoods with banners.

“Will we be returning to a more normalized class size, or will this be something that becomes a normal and a standard in our school district?” Superintendent Mark Greathead said. “It’s a little too soon to know.”

What enrollment declines will mean for schools over the next few years remains to be seen. In general, enrollment matters to schools because losing students can mean losing funds, which could translate into less staff and bare-bones academic programming.

But when a state loses students, education costs go down, too. If a state is in a strong financial position, officials could decide to hold education budgets steady and spend more on the students who remain — or to make other choices.

Those decisions will affect whether schools eventually feel a squeeze as their headcounts decline, and school districts where enrollment is dropping the fastest will be in the toughest position. Another worry for schools: Having fewer students enrolled could also weaken political support for public school spending.

For now, districts are focusing on getting the students they have up to speed.

In Clayton County, Georgia, Superintendent Morcease Beasley was heartened to see kindergarten numbers rise after last year’s drop to around 3,000 from 3,500 the previous fall. The class numbers almost 3,400 this year, state data shows. Now, Beasley said, the task ahead is to build reading skills among the district’s youngest students and to help older students fill in gaps.

“Last year we were virtually learning, and while we did our best, we do know that students were not necessarily learning as much,” Beasley said. “We’ve got work to do.”

Matt Barnum contributed reporting.

Michigan superintendent pushes reforms to get more teachers in classrooms

2021-11-09T22:21:02+00:00

James Rautiola, an Upper Peninsula superintendent, has lost a lot of sleep stressing about how he would get certified teachers to lead classrooms in the Copper Country Intermediate School District.

“We’re not the only industry suffering with trying to find employees, but we have a great opportunity in front of us to make it right for kids,” he told the Michigan Board of Education at a meeting Tuesday. “The time is right for us to explore some options.”

State superintendent Michael Rice has some ideas to mitigate the state’s teacher shortage. He presented them to the board Tuesday, saying it could take a state investment of $300 million to $500 million over the next five years to effectively address the problem. That’s a fraction of the $17.1 billion annually the state currently spends on schools.

“The fact of the matter is that this is a major issue across the state,” Rice said.

Numerous districts have temporarily closed schools or shifted them to remote learning because of teacher shortages exacerbated by faculty illnesses and quarantines.

And the problem isn’t just in Michigan.

Unprecedented teacher shortages throughout the country have resulted in students learning in larger classes, from teachers who aren’t always certified, or without the extra help districts had hoped to provide to help children catch up from last year’s learning losses.

Increasing teacher pay, especially for entry-level educators, is a major part of the solution, Rice said. Some beginning teachers in Michigan earn less than $40,000 a year, he said, and colleges have seen a large decline in students who want to enter the teaching profession.

“I’m going to keep beating this drum. We need to boost teacher compensation, and we need to particularly do it with early career teachers,” he said.

He offered the state board Tuesday a menu of other mitigation options, many of which would require legislative action and funding. They include:

Offering tuition reimbursement for college students in education programs.
Forgiving current teachers’ student loans.
Awarding scholarships to promising high school seniors entering teacher training programs.
Reviving teacher preparation programs in colleges in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula
Easing restrictions on accepting teacher licenses from other states.
Simplifying the employment pathway for people who graduated from teacher preparation programs but did not complete all requirements for certification.
Expanding eligibility for child care reimbursement for students enrolled in teacher preparatory programs.
Providing tuition reimbursement for teachers who complete reading courses required for a professional teaching certificate.
Offering stipends to defray living costs during student teaching.
Funding district efforts to recruit and retain teachers.

“We need to look at teacher supply. We need to look at quantity, quality, and diversity. They are all important,” Rice said.

He cautioned districts against relying too heavily on the recent infusion of federal COVID relief dollars because that money will run out in three years.

“We do have an opportunity with new funding but we have to be very, very careful with that funding,” he said. “You ought to be very, very careful not to put recurring expenditures on nonrecurring revenue.”

Existing “grow-your-own” programs that help members of school support staff become certified teachers are helping on all three fronts, Rice said. So are efforts to encourage high school students to enter the profession, he said.

Both the K-12 student population and the support staff ranks are more diverse than the state’s teaching pool.

“To actively inspire, interest, engage, and recruit from these two groups is to work not simply on quantity and quality, but also on diversity,” Rice said.

A number of factors contributed to increases in teacher vacancies during the pandemic. Some educators burned out from the increased pressure of moving between remote and in-person teaching. Others left because they were afraid of contracting COVID in their schools or because they didn’t want to comply with staff vaccination policies some states have adopted.

No matter the cause, the problem has left districts with more vacancies than ever.

Rice didn’t quantify the vacancies and Michigan Department of Education spokesperson Martin Ackley said the department doesn’t collect that data.

District administrators say they are filling the gaps by increasing class size, bringing in substitutes, shifting staff to classes they may not have the subject-matter expertise to teach, and hiring job candidates they might not have hired before.

The problem is urgent, said Michigan Teacher of the Year Leah Porter.

“The stakes have never been higher on teachers, and they feel that pressure. They are just burned out beyond belief,” said Porter, who teaches third grade at Wilcox Elementary School in Ingham County’s Holt School District. “If we’re not changing some of these things quickly, we’re going to continue to see teachers leaving the profession.”

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the estimated cost of the proposed initiatives.

Vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 marks a potential turning point for schools

2021-11-05T20:02:54+00:00

Children ages 5 to 11 can now get vaccinated against COVID, a major turning point in a school year already disrupted by the pandemic.

Doses are already available at many Michigan pharmacies and health departments. They will be available starting Monday from Detroit Health Department clinics for children, and Detroit schools will begin offering doses on Nov. 13.

The school year will inch closer to normal with each newly vaccinated child, said Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. COVID outbreaks have caused classrooms to shut down in Detroit and statewide in recent weeks, obstructing efforts to help students recover from the academic and emotional effects of the pandemic.

Vaccinated children are unlikely to fall ill with COVID, and Vitti said they will not have to quarantine at home if they come into contact with a sick peer.

Sixty-eight thousand Detroiters ages 5 to 11 are eligible for the vaccine, which was recently deemed safe and effective by the Centers for Disease and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

The shot has the same active ingredients as the Pfizer vaccine that has been taken by more than 100 million Americans, but contains one-third the amount as the adult vaccine and is packaged with a smaller needle. Approval of a Moderna shot for young children is possible in coming weeks. Both vaccines require two shots given three weeks apart, with full immunity reached two weeks after the second dose.

City health officials are planning virtual public forums next week where doctors will answer questions from parents. Many Detroit parents are hesitant about the vaccine: A recent survey found that 59% of Detroit parents with children under age 12 are uncomfortable with their child receiving the shot.

Carla Watson, a neurologist at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, lifelong Detroiter, and mother, is eager to get her 5-year-old son vaccinated.

The vaccine’s approval came as a relief to Carla Watson, a pediatric neurologist at Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

Watson, a lifelong Detroiter, treats children who fall ill with COVID. She’s also the mother of a 5-year-old with health conditions that make COVID a particularly grave threat to his well-being.

“I am really looking forward to getting the vaccine for him,” she said, noting that vaccinated children are less likely to pass the virus to adults.

“This vaccine is very safe, we know it’s very effective, and I’ve seen the severe effects” of COVID in children, she added. “I encourage everyone to get the vaccine.”

While young children are less likely than adults to fall seriously ill with COVID, complications of the disease can prove fatal in rare cases. Detroit officials announced plans to roll out the vaccine for younger children in a conference room named after Skylar Herbert, a Detroit 5-year-old who died from complications of COVID in the early weeks of the pandemic.

Even mild COVID cases in children can mean lost time in school and temporary isolation from family and friends.

The Biden administration has pushed for schools to distribute the vaccine. Doses will be available in the Detroit Public Schools Community District in the coming weeks, beginning on Nov. 13 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School and Randolph Career and Technical School.

Vitti said the district is working on a plan to vaccinate younger students in schools on weekends and occasionally during school days. A parent or legal guardian must accompany younger children to the vaccine appointment. Few working parents can attend vaccination appointments during the school day.

Another option for parents is the Detroit Health Department, which is offering child-specific vaccination sites starting Monday.

To prevent long waits, DHD is offering vaccines for children by appointment only. Nurses and clinicians at these appointments will have experience working with children. And more time will be allotted for the appointments than for adult vaccinations to allow families to interact with their nurses and feel more comfortable.

“We’re setting up a separate process to make it comfortable and reassuring for our kids,” said Mayor Mike Duggan, adding: “I don’t want … children in a waiting room sitting around with time to build up anxiety.”

The city is providing vaccinations for children ages 5 to 11 at the following locations:

Detroit Health Department, 100 Mack Ave., from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, starting Nov. 8.
Northwest Activities Center, 18100 Meyers Rd., from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, starting Nov. 13.

To book an appointment with the city, call 313-230-0505.

Walgreens, CVS, and various hospitals and health departments are also offering vaccine appointments for children.

Parents can ask Detroit doctors about the new vaccine during virtual forums Nov. 8 and Nov. 12 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. More information is available on the Detroit Health Department Facebook page.

Janet Callahan is taking her 10-year-old daughter to get vaccinated on Monday. COVID poses a particular threat to Bethany Callahan, who has autism, cerebral palsy, and a respiratory issue that caused her to be put on a ventilator as a toddler.

“We have no desire to sit in the hospital again with a kid on a ventilator,” she said. “We have been waiting on pins and needles” for the vaccine.

Callahan’s family has seldom left home during the pandemic. Janet is home-schooling Bethany, who normally attends the Troy School District, through the end of this school year, but she says the vaccine is the first step back to in-person education and social interaction.

“And my dad is really excited to come for Thanksgiving,” she added.

Caring adults helped me turn my life around. Here’s what I owe the next generation of struggling students.

2021-11-01T10:00:00+00:00

Students are back in their classrooms, but those classrooms aren’t the same ones they left in March 2020. There are physical reminders that their schools are different – masks, social distancing, health screenings. And then there’s the invisible weight that each of us carries from a year and a half of stress.

I’ve seen students feeling lethargic, overwhelmed, and still very cautious to be back. When the school doors reopened, students opened up too. Some of their stories were more difficult than others. This fall, my work has been focused on addressing students’ increased needs and helping them cope as best as possible.

As a counselor and coach with the nonprofit Communities In Schools, I helped students navigate remote learning, and I will continue supporting them now. But the trauma that students have endured concerns me, especially as I know firsthand how the feeling of being disconnected can lead young people off track.

My story growing up was like the stories of too many young people in Chicago. Both of my parents were locked up when I was a little kid, and I spent years in foster care. Theirs was a low-income home near Chicago and Kedzie avenues, but my foster grandmother did her best to help me succeed. She enrolled me in religious schools, thinking the discipline and structured learning environment would help me focus and excel. But inside, I was hurting. I was angry my parents hadn’t been there for me. And when they were finally released from jail, I was confused about where they fit in my life.

As a defense mechanism, I goofed off in class and got into fights with other students over petty things. I had the smarts to make straight As, but my report cards were crammed with Cs and Ds. In the middle of seventh grade, I left foster care, moved in with my dad, and transferred to another school.

I still remember how nervous I felt on my first day at Ella Flagg Young Elementary. I’d never attended a Chicago public school. Would I fit in? Would I have the same discipline problems? I remember telling myself, don’t mess this up. But truth be told, I didn’t know how to do that.

In hindsight, that seventh grade year was a fork in the road. I had to choose how I wanted my life to be.

Thankfully, with the help of a few caring adults, my life took a U-turn. My father dedicated himself to helping me get ahead, and my homeroom teacher, Ms. Jones, also took me under her wing. After long days in the classroom, she’d stay after school to help me catch up in math and reading. With her guidance, I made new friends and began to thrive. I was accepted to Prosser Career Academy for high school and graduated four years later as valedictorian. I was college-bound.

During my sophomore year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I took a social work course and found my calling: I wanted to help children struggling as I had struggled.

Today, many of the students I work with carry burdens no young person should bear, including food insecurity, homelessness, and the violent deaths of friends and family members. Now, our city’s young people also have to deal with new stressors brought on by the pandemic.

Our students need their communities — caring adults inside and outside the school building — to come together for them, using the example of Ms. Jones as our guide. They need to feel seen and heard.

Supporting students this year is a very vulnerable space for me. I realize that although they may be looking to me as the expert and the one with the right answers, they are experts too. They are surviving a pandemic just like me.

So I work with them to determine the best way forward. I empower them to advocate for themselves, and I believe they can conquer anything that stands in their way.

My mantra for students this year is “you owe yourself consistency and effort,” and I also owe my students that. Caring adults show up for students by building positive, developmental relationships, being inquisitive, and championing young people’s resilience.

It is a privilege to be able to contribute to the growth of future generations. We must be intentional about helping them feel supported, cared for, and capable.

Diamond Howard is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker currently serving as a student supports manager for Communities In Schools of Chicago. She is a first-generation college student and a Posse Scholar. She received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and social work and her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

With 1.9% enrollment drop, NYC schools have lost 64,000 students since pandemic started

2021-10-29T18:59:10+00:00

Enrollment in the nation’s largest school system has dropped roughly 1.9% this school year, according to preliminary figures released Friday by the education department.

Roughly 938,000 students are enrolled in New York City’s public schools, down from about 955,000 last school year, when the system saw a significant decline related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Declining birth rates are playing a role, a department spokesperson said. Some families have left the five boroughs, opted for charter schools, private schools, or home school, though officials did not provide data that reveals to what extent those factors may be affecting the enrollment shift.

The city’s public schools have been shedding students well before the pandemic. The decline last school year was much more significant, though, with enrollment dropping by 4.7%. Overall, the city’s district schools now have 6.4%, or about 64,000, fewer students compared with the 2019-2020 school year, when the pandemic started.

Charter school enrollment has increased 3.2% this school year and now stands at 143,000, or roughly 13% of the city’s public school students. Though the cap on the number of charter schools that can open in New York City has been reached, schools may still phase in additional grade levels that have already been approved.

Enrollment trends matter considerably at the school level because the majority of school budgets are allocated on a per-student basis. If a school enrolls fewer students than the city projected, they may be forced to hand funding back, a practice that generated outsized criticism last school year, as some schools owed hundreds of thousands of dollars.

City officials wound up allowing schools to keep the funding they owed, and that policy will continue this school year, officials said.

School systems across the country have also experienced enrollment declines this year, including nearly 6% in Los Angeles and 3% in Chicago, the nation’s second and third largest districts.

“As the nation’s largest school district we’ve been impacted by the nationwide enrollment fluctuation that impacted schools across the country, and this data shows enrollment is stabilizing as we continue our City’s incredible recovery,” education department spokesperson Katie O’Hanlon said in a statement.

Last school year, the largest enrollment drops were among the city’s youngest learners, echoing trends in districts across the country, as some families may have been reluctant to rely on virtual learning for young children or were nervous about sending their unvaccinated children to school in the midst of a pandemic. This year, enrollment in pre-kindergarten for 4-year-olds held steady, but is still below pre-pandemic levels, department officials indicated at a City Council hearing this week.

With an influx of federal dollars, city officials have expanded its pre-K offerings for 3-year-olds leading to an overall preschool increase of roughly 28%. In kindergarten, the year education becomes compulsory, enrollment fell 9% last year. Officials did not immediately provide a grade-by-grade breakdown for the latest data.

For weeks, elected officials have been pressing the education department for enrollment figures and a clear accounting of how many students are not regularly showing up to school.

Parents are now required to send their children to school in person, but some have resisted, citing the ongoing pandemic and skepticism of the city’s safety protocols in schools.

The numbers released Friday do not offer a precise indication of how many students have disengaged from school, or are chronically absent, even as they continue to live in the city. Officials said average daily attendance to date stands at 89%, though they did not immediately say how that compares to the same period in prior years.

Although individual school budgets will not take a hit if their enrollment shrinks, a significant drop-off can eventually pose a threat since district officials have closed schools that they conclude are too small to be sustainable.

At the district level, enrollment declines could affect funding levels, though the department’s budget has grown even as the number of students enrolled in district schools has shrunk.

And the immediate budget outlook is far rosier than many predicted when the pandemic hit: The city is flush with nearly $7 billion in federal coronavirus relief dollars and state officials have also pledged to boost funding for schools.

Illinois enrollment declines driven by loss of pre-kindergarten, kindergarten students

2021-10-29T14:43:27+00:00

Like many states across the country, Illinois lost public school students last year, and the declines were largely driven by sizable drops in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students, according to enrollment data released by the state board of education on Friday.

In districts across the state, enrollment for Illinois’ youngest students fell last spring compared to 2020 as parents worried about safety and struggled with the difficulties of remote learning. Pre-K rolls dropped by 17%, and Illinois reported an 8% decline in kindergarten students from 2020 to spring 2021.

The state board of education reported that nearly 70,000 students, or 3.6%, left schools statewide during the same time frame — compared to a national decline of 3%. That compares to a smaller loss, of 1.4% of students, from spring 2019 to 2020, when the pandemic forced the closure of schools statewide. (The state also released test score data this week; read more here.)

Since 2011, Illinois has lost 9% of its public school enrollment.

State Superintendent Carmen Ayala said this week that the state is working on a campaign with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office of Early Childhood Development to re-engage families and enroll young students.

“The campaign will address barriers to enrollment and ensure that families know how important preschool and kindergarten are and that it is safe for children to attend,” said Ayala.

However, Illinois does not require parents to enroll their children into pre-K or kindergarten. Prior to the pandemic, about a third of Illinois’ eligible 4-year-olds were enrolled in a state preschool program, but access was uneven and pre-K options were not available at all schools.

From 2020 to 2021, the state’s four largest racial and ethnic groups — Asian American, Black, Latino, and white — changed slightly. White student enrollment decreased by 1.86%, while Black student enrollment held steady. There were increases in Asian American student enrollment, by 3.85%, and in Latino student enrollment by 1.5%.

Throughout the state there was an increase in English language learners. The number of students with disabilities remained constant.

The data released this week reflected spring 2021 enrollment, when some districts were struggling to reopen or were partially reopened with hybrid schedules that required some remote learning. How that pandemic school year will affect school rolls will have an impact for years to come, officials have said.

Officials attributed 2.5% of Illinois’ enrollment decline to the pandemic as school districts struggled to reopen school buildings last year. Prior to the pandemic, Illinois estimated losses of about 1.1% per year due to declining birth rates.

Compared to pre-pandemic enrollment in the spring of 2019, the state’s top five largest school districts reported an average enrollment drop of about 6.74% with Rockford School District 205 losing a little over 9% across the stretch of the pandemic and Chicago losing nearly 7% across the same time frame.

In numbers released earlier this week that show 20th day enrollment for fall, Chicago, the state’s largest school district, reported enrollment declines of another 3%, or roughly 10,000 students. Joliet Public Schools saw enrollment fall by 4%, as about 400 students left the district, with declines across several grades. The exception among large districts was Peoria Public Schools, which reported a 4.3% increase in enrollment.

Enrollment is a key factor in how much evidence-based funding districts receive from the state. Illinois officials said this week that school districts will not be penalized for losing students and will retain current funding. However, they will not be eligible for any additional per-student dollars.

Illinois has received nearly $8 billion in federal emergency coronavirus funding across three stimulus packages. Public education advocates have worried that without increased state funding contributions, school districts may struggle to afford hires they made using federal stimulus money. Some districts have been reluctant to hire additional personnel for fear of reaching a funding cliff when the stimulus money runs out.

Illinois to make teacher evaluations optional for second year

2021-10-20T22:36:40+00:00

For the second year in a row, Illinois school districts are being encouraged to evaluate teachers but will not be penalized for not doing so, the state board of education said Tuesday.

Last school year, when districts were mostly remote due to the coronavirus pandemic, the state board of education provided districts with some flexibility on how to evaluate teachers. At the time, members said they hoped 2021-22 would return to normal. But with districts currently struggling to reopen amid staff and food shortages, board officials argued Tuesday that it would be best to pause their evaluation system for another year.

“We know that our leaders are being substitutes, they’re driving buses, and handling so much more to address many of the challenges brought forth by the pandemic and meeting the needs of our students,” State Superintendent Carmen Ayala said at the meeting.

The decision to give districts flexibility on teacher evaluations is another example of how COVID-19 has disrupted accountability systems designed by states. It’s not clear yet whether Illinois will rate schools this year; it suspended its rating system last school year.

Board members Donna Leak, superintendent of Community Consolidated Schools District 168, and Roger Eddy, interim president of Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, said there was a need to be flexible on teacher evaluations as many district leaders and school employees are overburdened.

“I appreciate the consideration because this is something that will provide some relief to the folks that are finding it difficult to manage day to day,” said Eddy. “Summative evaluations are still there but it is a response to one of the needs in the field.”

Teacher evaluations have at times been a flashpoint between teachers unions and officials who argue that improving educator performance is a critical component of ensuring quality classroom instruction. In Chicago, the teacher evaluation system is based mostly on classroom observations of a teacher in action and growth scores on district-administered assessments.

Teacher evaluation scores can influence decisions about which teachers receive tenure and be used to identify educators for remediation and even dismissal.

A spokesperson for Chicago Public Schools said the district will evaluate teachers this year and will ensure probationary teachers and tenured teachers are evaluated annually.

Kathi Griffin, the president of the state’s largest teachers union, the Illinois Education Association, said schools will continue to assess teacher performance, but there won’t be a punitive element. They were a part of a statewide push last year to pause evaluation and give a default rating.

“The process in place will continue to provide educators feedback on their craft of teaching,” Griffin said.

More Michigan schools could open before Labor Day under House bill

2021-10-15T19:39:56+00:00

Mission Point Resort is a bustling Mackinac Island retreat where families swim, golf, play croquet, sip lavender lemonade and dine on seared walleye all summer.

Come September, business falls off sharply as vacation season ends and children start school.

That drop could happen sooner if state lawmakers repeal a law prohibiting schools from opening before Labor Day unless they hold public hearings and get permission from the state Department of Education.

The House education committee recently advanced a bill to repeal the 2005 law, driven by the tourism industry. The committee voted 9-2 at the hearing Oct. 5.

The perennial debate pits education leaders who want to build more flexibility into their school year calendar against tourism and economic development interests eager to protect summer profits by ensuring families can book vacations through the Labor Day holiday.

It isn’t hard for districts to get waivers to begin classes in August. The education department typically works with districts to help them meet criteria for approval, said department spokesman Bill DiSessa. Waivers are good for three years.

Waiver applications have been on the rise. For 2019-21, 29 intermediate school districts and 121 local districts and public charter schools received waivers to open before Labor Day. For 2022-24, 48 intermediate districts and 142 local districts and public charter schools have already been granted waivers.

Intermediate school waivers allow any school district within the intermediate district’s service area to start before Labor Day.

But school districts need more predictability than a temporary waiver provides, said Don Wotruba, executive director of the Michigan Association of School Boards. They don’t feel confident investing in plans to extend the school year if they have to get permission again every three years, he said.

Tourism leaders like the waiver process because they believe the administrative hassle deters some districts from applying.

But education advocates say they shouldn’t have to apply in the first place.

“We believe districts should have the flexibility on their own without the Department of Education deciding yes or no,” Wotruba said. “Districts need the flexibility to decide what makes sense for them.”

That’s one reason Chesterfield Township Republican Pamela Hornberger said she introduced the bill to repeal the ban on pre-Labor Day school schedules.

Another reason is that many school activities — such as football and other fall sports — begin practice in early August, leaving many families already unable to travel as Labor Day approaches, said Hornberger, who leads the education committee.

School start dates vary throughout the country. Just 22 percent of districts across the U.S. opened after Labor Day in 2019, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. Start dates that year ranged from July 23 in suburban Phoenix to Sept. 9 in Trenton, N.J.

Virginia had a law similar to Michigan’s but amended it in 2019 to allow schools to start in mid-August as long as they give students a four-day weekend for Labor Day. Michigan already prohibits schools from being in session on the Friday before Labor Day.

Districts just want flexibility to do what’s right for their communities, said Bob Kefgen, lobbyist for the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals.

“Plenty of schools want to get started in August to minimize the potential summer learning loss and maximize the amount of learning time before breaks,” Kefgen said. Such concerns have multiplied since the coronavirus pandemic, which has disrupted in-school learning and left schools with enormous challenges in getting students caught up.

Opponents of the Hornberger bill say classrooms aren’t the only place to learn. They say kids learn a lot about history, geography and the environment in places like northern Michigan that rely on tourist dollars.

“If your only goal is strict academic education and you don’t believe in the value of other forms of education, then you might support this, but I believe there’s” more to education than classroom learning, said Republican state Rep. John Damoose of Harbor Springs, who voted no in committee.

The only other no vote came from another northern Michigan Republican, Jack O’Malley whose district includes Benzie, Leelanau, Manistee and Mason, four northwest counties that hug the beaches of Lake Michigan.

Earlier school starts could particularly harm businesses that rely on teenage employees through the summer, O’Malley said during a recent committee meeting.

Golden Shoes in Traverse City is among them, said owner Bill Golden, who has been especially reliant on teenagers through the pandemic when older workers were unwilling to work at the shoe store.

“It’s not just Traverse City,” Golden said. “It’s Holland. It’s Grand Haven. These are all tourist areas that really depend on those kids because we just don’t have enough workers.”

The Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association is concerned about the workforce and the customer base.

“Hospitality has been hit incredibly hard because of COVID, so the timing of this could not be worse,” the association’s lobbyist, John McNamara.

Mackinac Island businesses like Mission Point Resort are open only six months a year. To chip away at the customer base during the height of tourist season would hurt, said Liz Ware, its vice president of sales and marketing. Seventy percent of hotel guests are from Michigan, so it’s important that families from other parts of the state are able to travel through Labor Day, she said

“The peak months of June, July and August are when we have to make enough money to have a successful year. Reducing that 90-day window because people are going back to school? That would hurt,” Ware said.

“This is a real existential threat to us in northern Michigan,” she said. “The hospitality community supports so much of the economy in this region. We should be doing everything we can to support travel and tourism as opposed to making it harder.”

That sounds shortsighted to education advocates.

“Tourism is important but, at the same time, we don’t believe the education side should be sacrificed,” Wotruba said. “Districts need the permanent ability to make decisions that fit their communities.”

The bill now awaits action by the full House. A vote has not yet been scheduled.

Will the bus come today? For some Illinois families, school transit still a gamble

2021-10-12T11:00:00+00:00

Just before 9 a.m. on a recent Friday, Jeanette Sámano’s phone buzzed and her son’s name lit up the screen. The school bus hadn’t arrived for pickup outside Enrico Tonti Elementary School in Gage Park, he told her. With only 10 minutes to go before the start of his first class at Maria Saucedo Elementary School about five miles away in Little Village, Raúl, who is a diverse learner, wouldn’t be making it on time.

“I was really worried about his safety,” Sámano said, who was upset that her seventh grader would also be missing critical learning time. “My heart dropped.”

Sámano, who works an hour and half away in the suburbs, called the bus company only to be told service had been canceled for the day. The bus service provider hadn’t called parents ahead of time to let them know of the last-minute cancelation, Sámano said.

She called her husband, who left work to take their 12-year-old son to Maria Saucedo.

“They should be calling the parents so we know what to do. That way we can make alternate choices,” Sámano said. “It’s not OK.”

Weeks into the school year, Illinois families such as Sámano’s are still grappling with unreliable bus service because of the state’s school bus driver shortage and logistical problems with district planning. Parents describe how their children are dropped off at home 30-45 minutes late or later, pickups are canceled last-minute, and communication is spotty from district officials. That has left them frustrated and concerned about their children’s safety, as students have been stranded at bus stops alone or have to stay home alone because parents are working.

Chicago’s bus problems made headlines the first week of school, and district officials promised cash payments for transit assistants and a fast solution. But weeks later, several families told Chalkbeat that bus service is still a daily gamble, and data provided by Chicago Public Schools shows that even more families lack service now than at the start of the year.

Chicago is responsible for transporting about 16,000 students to and from schools every year. Currently, students with disabilities make up more than half of the outstanding transportation requests — about 2,500 out of 4,000 students across the district. Students with disabilities have transportation written into their Individualized Education Programs, and the requirement is backed by federal law.

“Like school districts across the country, the district is experiencing a shortage in drivers. CPS remains committed to providing full transportation services to students,” a Chicago Public Schools spokesperson said in a statement.

CPS is working with vendors to ramp up bus driver hiring and training to resume regularly provided transportation services, according to a CPS official.

When school started at the end of August, 2,100 students were left without a ride on the first day of school and families were offered $1,000 to cover transportation. Last month, Chicago Public School board members said 3,300 students were stranded without bus service, citing the continued bus driver shortage, but said they aimed to prioritize students with special needs. But weeks later, the bus problem hasn’t improved.

Over the last year, Chicago Public Schools also consolidated or canceled 289 bus routes.

District officials said the total number of students without transportation may vary as part of the evolving situation.

Asked to explain why more students are now without bus service, district officials said the “higher number of transportation requests can be attributed to new requests, changes in enrollment, and route assignments returned by bus companies.”

The numbers fluctuate in the first couple of months of a new school year, district officials said.

Sámano said bus service has been inconsistent all year so far, and Raúl sometimes is late for his first class, which is one of two classes that provides enhanced learning assistance to diverse learners, and on some other days there is no service. While school ends at 4 p.m.,Raúl’s bus often arrives at the school around 5:30 p.m. and doesn’t reach his drop-off location until after 6 p.m.

Families who have children with disabilities say that this isn’t the first time that they have struggled with unreliable bus service to get their children to school. Laurie Viets, a mother of three children with autism, says that reliable transportation pre-dates the pandemic. She remembers her children sharing a bus with another school in 2019, which resulted in children at one school always being late.

“This is systematic. This has been happening every single year that my children have had busing,” Viets said. “They are always understaffed.”

The district’s solution of offering money to parents to pay for other transportation to school isn’t an option for everyone, especially parents whose children have special needs, Viets said.

“We have to put a huge amount of faith and trust in CPS transportation just to put our kids on a school bus with an aide and a driver, and then to say, ‘You should just put them in a random Uber and we will reimburse you — It’s just ridiculous,” Viets said.

CPS parent Laurie Viets and her three children Raven, far left, Canyon, center right, and River.

One parent told Chalkbeat their child was denied remote instruction after a bus route was canceled. The bus problems forced the family to keep their child home entirely, said the parent, who did not want to be named out of concern about retaliation from the district.

The parent provided Chalkbeat with proof that school officials denied requests to provide child remote instruction.

Parents throughout Illinois are dealing with delays and last-minute route cancellations due to lack of bus staffing. While their districts are providing solutions when students can’t get a bus to school, families are still awaiting permanent fixes — especially because the school bus is the only way for some children to get to classes.

Maria Gonzalez’s daughters attend schools at Community School District 308 in Oswego and do not have the option of taking public transportation. Melanie, 15, attends high school between 7:20 a.m. and 2:40 p.m. and must get to the bus stop at 6:25 a.m. Dayana, 10, starts classes at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 3:45 p.m., and she needs to be at her bus stop around 8:25 a.m.

Some days, the bus doesn’t come. The girls have to stay home and attend classes online since Gonzalez is a single mother who works at a factory from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is rarely able to drive her daughters to school.

Although her daughters are usually able to get a bus to school, buses are delayed in the evening. Sometimes Dayana comes back home 30-45 minutes late and misses her after-school activities.

Without anyone to watch her daughters, Gonzalez’s worries about their safety. Sometimes she is so worried, she chooses to miss work, a risky proposition for a family with a single income. “When they are at home, sometimes I have to stay with them because I don’t have people to support me.”

Community School District 308 in Oswego could not be immediately reached for comment.

‘Alarming’ shortage of child care workers in Philadelphia prompts recruitment event

2021-10-05T13:52:36+00:00

Early childhood education providers are holding a site-by-site job fair on Thursday in a concerted attempt to counteract a staffing shortage that one state child care advocate has called “alarming.”

More than 300 child care programs in Philadelphia signed up as of Monday for the event, called “ECE Day of Hire.”

“Basically, for lack of better words, we’re not getting the response and we’re not getting qualified candidates,” said Kelli Jackson, head of human resources at Porter’s Child Care Center in North Philadelphia.

Porter’s, which has been in the neighborhood for 40 years, is trying to hire at least three classroom aides so it can open two more classrooms. With a capacity of 230 children, it now has 150 and a waiting list, Jackson said.

The shortage of child care workers is so stark that directors could not leave for a centralized hiring event because they are needed to help staff classrooms, said Jackie Groetsch, the public policy field organizer for the early childhood advocacy group First Up.

“That’s the severity of the problem, the directors, the owners, they don’t have the ability to leave their programs,” Groetsch said, because of the ratio of adults to children required by state standards. “They’ve been covering in classrooms.”

According to a July survey by the advocacy organization Start Strong PA, 93% of Philadelphia child care providers said they had lost workers since the pandemic started. The 147 centers that responded said they closed 322 classrooms total, but had more than 1,800 children on a waiting list. If they were fully staffed, they could accommodate nearly 4,800 more children.

The picture is similarly bleak statewide, with 92% of providers reporting an inability to hire enough workers, according to the survey.

“They have lost staff. Child care workers have chosen to leave the industry at alarming rates and chosen to work for other sectors that are offering higher pay,” Groetsch said. Employers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, even McDonald’s, have increased wages to $15 and, in some cases, as much as $20 an hour, while the average hourly wage in the child care industry in Pennsylvania is about $11.

“Right now we have families ready to go back to work, but the programs have to say no, we don’t have enough staff,” Groetsch said.

The participating centers in the daylong event will decorate their entrances with something yellow — balloons or ribbons, most likely — because that is the color used by the state’s Keystone Stars rating system for early childhood education. To earn up to four stars, centers must meet standards for staffing, operations and curriculum.

Child care centers can’t afford to increase wages for workers due to what Groetsch called a “broken” funding system. The sector “is underfunded by state and local governments,” she said, resulting in a situation where costs for parents are high at the same time that pay for workers is relatively low.

That could change if President Biden’s $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Act is enacted with the $450 billion he proposes to include for child care over 10 years. First Up is among the advocacy organizations saying this could enable programs to raise salaries to levels that are more competitive with other industries.

Passage of the legislation would be a “game changer,” Groetsch said. A federal investment could “ensure that parents are paying less for child care but that programs are receiving funding to cover the full cost of providing care,” Groetsch said.

The child care industry in Philadelphia and around the region is sprawling and diverse, run by a mix of government entities and private businesses. It is paid for by a combination of private tuition payments and public subsidies, many of which target the neediest families.

Even before the pandemic, the industry was struggling. When schools and child care programs were forced to shut down in March 2020 due to the pandemic, the state used federal rescue funds to continue to pay subsidies to the centers based on their enrollment. This allowed them to pay employees, even though the centers were closed.

But state aid was gradually cut back starting in September 2020, and staffers began looking for other employment.

Without the ability to raise wages, competing in this job market is daunting, and Groetsch and others aren’t sure who will show up at the recruiting event for the wages being offered.

She said possible recruits would include mothers with young children who want to return to the workforce, and would accept the wage because it would save them as much as $300 a week in their own child care costs. Another source of labor, she suggested, could be people who “may have had a past career and are looking to make a difference and have work to do that is rewarding and joyful.”

“Don’t get me wrong, it is hard work, but you can help shape young brains and interact with children,” she said. “If you want to work where you can get hugs and have little people happy to see you and who don’t want to leave, that’s the child care industry.”

Jackson said that the minimum requirement for her center to keep its top rating from Keystone Stars is a high school diploma with two years of experience or a child development associate credential, or CDA, which can be obtained online and is the equivalent of nine college credits toward an early education degree.

“Our qualifications are somewhat higher than some other centers in the city,” she said.

Porter’s houses a Head Start program and a Pre-K Counts program in partnership with the city and school district. She hopes there will be a good turnout on Thursday to fill their open slots with qualified people. They have tried to increase the hourly wage to make the positions more attractive, she said, but still can’t compete with companies like Target and Walmart.

Plus, she said, a lot of people found employment during the pandemic that allowed them to work from home. Child care doesn’t provide that option.

”In some ways, the pandemic brought to the forefront issues of work-life balance,” she said. “If you can stay home and get paid, you can work from home two or three days a week; with those scenarios, the need for child care is a little less as well,” she said.

Jackson hopes that the Day of Hire brings some serious candidates. She intends to advertise it on social media and update the website and the entry on Indeed, a jobs website, to emphasize that “there is no appointment needed, just come.” Given the need for workers, she said. “We’ll give it a shot.”

As vaccine mandate kicks in, 95% of NYC schools staff have received COVID shots

2021-10-04T21:59:14+00:00

New York City’s vaccine mandate for more than 150,000 education employees took effect Monday morning, requiring those without at least one dose to be put on unpaid leave.

The threat of losing their salaries seemed to be a big incentive for staff members to get vaccinated, with the share of education department employees jumping roughly 20 percentage points in less than a month.

By Monday, 95% of department staff had received at least one dose, including 96% of teachers and 99% of principals, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. About 43,000 education department employees received a vaccine dose after the mandate was announced on Aug. 23.

That left roughly 7,400 unvaccinated education department employees, including about 3,100 teachers. Unvaccinated educators will continue to receive health insurance and will be allowed to return to their schools if they receive a first vaccine dose. About 1,000 educators have received medical or religious accommodations, according to a teachers union spokesperson.

District Council 37, a union representing about 20,000 school employees including crossing guards and cafeteria workers, said 93% of those staffers are vaccinated, up from 68% at the beginning of September. Vaccination rates have been significantly lower for school safety agents: 84% have received at least one dose, de Blasio said.

“Every adult in our schools is now vaccinated and that’s going to be the rule going forward,” de Blasio said. “That’s the way to keep kids safe and the whole school community safe.”

The nation’s largest school system is among the first wave of districts to issue such a mandate. Though the implementation was delayed by a week due to multiple legal challenges from a group of educators and unions representing school staff, those challenges have so far been unsuccessful.

City officials are hoping the mandate will help reduce the risk of virus transmission and the disruptions that come with it, as the more contagious delta variant continues to circulate at the same time that many classrooms are back to full capacity given there is no longer an option to learn virtually and social distancing rules have been relaxed.

Since district schools reopened on Sept. 13, more than 2,300 of roughly 1 million students have tested positive and so have 943 staffers out of tens of thousands of employees. Those infections have led to roughly 2,500 full or partial classroom closures out of roughly 65,000 classrooms.

‘Young people ready to take those jobs’

In the days before the mandate took effect, school leaders and union officials raised concerns that even a relatively small percentage of staff who refuse the vaccine could cause significant disruptions. Although many schools have vaccination rates that approach 100%, union leaders warned that others would likely face staff shortages, forcing principals to scramble to cover classrooms by tapping substitutes, central office staff, or other school employees such as counselors who don’t typically work in classrooms.

City officials have insisted that the pool of vaccinated substitute teachers exceeds the numbers of unvaccinated staff.

“We got a lot of talented young people who are ready to take those jobs,” de Blasio said. “There are literally people lined up waiting to grab those opportunities.”

But there were signs that the education department may be concerned about potential shortages: An email sent to substitute teachers over the weekend said they could earn a $50 a day bonus for picking up open jobs, in addition to the $199.27 daily rate they typically earn.

The city’s teachers union alerted its members that it negotiated procedures to cover roles vacated by unvaccinated staff, including “emergency coverage” to fill in for classroom teachers by counselors, social workers, and psychologists. The union said that funneling students whose classroom teacher went on unpaid leave into other classrooms should be used only as a last resort.

The city also redeployed staff from central offices into schools. Some said they were sent to assignments they aren’t qualified for, taking them away from their day-to-day jobs. One tweeted that she was assigned to a school that didn’t seem to need her.

I’ve spent most of my day keeping this couch in the office warm. How is this helping the students of @NYCSchools? If you deploy central folks, it might be nice if you sent them to schools with a legitimate need, less than 1 hour away, & to cover a license area they actually know. pic.twitter.com/5R2hyJSCvU
— Laura Ogando (@LauraOgando7) October 4, 2021

So far, several school staffers have said they’ve been able to plug gaps for the most part. At Pace High School in Manhattan, for example, five of six previously unvaccinated teachers got their first shots last week, said teacher Alex Driver, based on what school officials told staff. A second staffer at the school said the unvaccinated teacher’s absence was covered by a substitute.

“It seems to be a normal day,” Driver said. “I think the fact that five of six got the shot last week shows it is an effective mandate.”

‘People are shouldering a lot’

At a Queens elementary school, five employees were absent: two unvaccinated teachers; one teacher who got vaccinated over the weekend but was feeling side effects; a speech teacher; and a cafeteria worker.

That school was able to find a sub and shuffle existing staff to fill much of the holes. The school’s after-school director — who speaks Spanish and has a teaching license — stepped in to cover for a dual language teacher’s class. An integrated class that typically includes special education and general education students taught by two teachers was being taught by one instead while the other teacher recovered after this weekend’s vaccine dose.

The school didn’t have coverage for the speech teacher, but was documenting missed sessions so students could make them up when they find someone to cover missed therapies.

Still, the unvaccinated cafeteria worker wound up reporting to work on Monday and refused to leave the building. She was so agitated at the requests to leave that police and mental health staff from a local hospital were summoned to the school.

After about two hours, with 20 minutes before students were scheduled to begin lunch, she was escorted out of the school, according to an assistant principal, who was involved in the episode and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“Ultimately, people are shouldering a lot, and there isn’t a playbook for responding to support adults who are in crisis,” the assistant principal said. “We’re trying to use our deescalation strategies to respond with compassion.”

Even though the police were involved, the cafeteria worker was not physically restrained, and the staff did what they could to defuse the situation and lean on mental health professionals, the administrator said.

Although the vaccine mandate has caused some headaches, “it is one of the only things we can do to get to a different place as a city and as a community around the virus,” the assistant principal said.

Students with disabilities missing paraprofessionals

Still, with thousands of education staff still unvaccinated, some students were significantly impacted by shortages on Monday. Multiple school staffers said finding substitute paraprofessionals, aides who often provide extra support for students with disabilities, was particularly challenging.

Brooklyn mom Jessica Waverka got a call from her school’s leader at 7:30 a.m. Monday morning that her 7-year-old son’s dedicated paraprofessional would be on leave and that the school already submitted a request for someone to cover the role.

The second grader, who is autistic, is a flight risk with a history of running from classrooms and struggles with emotional regulation as well as being able to communicate his concerns. He also has a feeding disorder and requires help with food intake.

For a brief moment, Waverka thought she could breathe a sigh of relief. Another student who has a dedicated para was out, so the school assigned that para to Waverka’s son. She went to school with her son to help ease him into working with the other para. It took more than half an hour before he would leave with the para. Then about two hours later, the para’s usual student showed up, and Waverka’s son was on his own.

His mom said she was waiting by the phone the rest of the day in case she needed to pick him up.

“An inexperienced para who is not familiar with the needs of autistic children will be very damaging. He does not transition well. He is mourning the sudden loss of his beloved para,” she wrote to her school as she reached out to other education department officials to resolve the situation. “As the Mayor celebrates 95% vaccination rate, those 5% of staff missing are being felt in a massive way.”

Waverka was pleased with the city’s vaccine mandate, but wished the department could have planned better for the loss of staffers, and she worried about other parents in similar situations who were not able to advocate in the same way she could.

“This is a child who needs a para for safety. It is a child who needs a para for emotional regulation,” Waverka said. “This is not a matter of a warm body.”

Chalkbeat wants to hear from you. Have staffing shortages affected your school? Let us know at ny.tips@chalkbeat.org.

Vaccine mandate: 87% of Denver schools staff fully vaccinated, district says

2021-10-01T22:27:01+00:00

As of Thursday’s deadline, Denver Public Schools reported that 87% of its staff complied with a city health order to verify that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Unvaccinated employees could lose their jobs — but not until Jan. 1. That’s more leeway than the city of Denver is giving its unvaccinated workers.

Three percent of school district employees were granted religious or medical exemptions from the public health order, the district said. It plans to send the remaining 10% of employees who are out of compliance a reminder Friday and a letter of reprimand on Monday, according to a notice the district’s human resources department sent to district employees and posted online.

Most of the unvaccinated employees are operational staff, such as custodians and food service workers, and part-time or temporary workers, district spokesperson Michael Vaughn said.

The health department order set a Sept. 30 deadline for Denver Public Schools’ 13,781 employees to show proof that they are fully vaccinated. The district will notify employees who don’t comply by Nov. 18 that they’ll lose their jobs on Jan. 2 if they don’t get fully vaccinated by Jan. 1, the district notice says. The district will post those employees’ jobs as open after Nov. 18 — and if a position is filled before an employee is vaccinated, the employee may lose it.

District spokesperson Michael Vaughn said the timeline “is intended to help ensure we don’t experience any staffing shortages that would affect the services we provide to our students and families.” Due in part to the pandemic, Denver Public Schools is already short staffed for several jobs, including bus drivers, nurses, and substitute teachers.

Starting Friday, unvaccinated district employees must get tested for COVID every week on their own time through COVIDCheck Colorado, which offers free testing. Employees must submit the first test results to the district by Oct. 8. Unvaccinated employees also will have to wear masks on the job. Denver Public Schools already requires any students or staff working inside schools to be masked, regardless of whether they’re vaccinated.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced the vaccine order in August. It applies to staff at all schools in the city, including private schools and colleges. It also covers all city employees and people who work in high-risk occupations and settings, including child care.

As of Thursday’s deadline, 98.7% of the city of Denver’s full-time employees had complied, data posted by the city shows. The percentage of all city employees, including part-time employees, who are fully vaccinated was not immediately available.

The city’s penalties for non-compliance are harsher than Denver Public Schools’. City employees who refuse to get vaccinated under any circumstances will be fired, according to a spokesperson for the city attorney’s office. Employees who simply haven’t complied will be suspended for 10 days without pay, with an exception for those who are close to being fully vaccinated. The city has said it will fire any suspended employee who hasn’t complied after the 10 days.

The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment also allows fines of up to $5,000 against people or entities that don’t comply with the order.

1 hour of instruction a day: NYC parents grapple with limited learning for medically fragile students

2021-10-01T19:41:33+00:00

Rodney Lee began looking for alternatives to in-person instruction for his daughter as soon as it became clear that New York City would not offer a remote option for families this year. Ten-year-old Priya suffers from a seizure disorder that could be exacerbated if she contracts the coronavirus.

Lee learned that his daughter would be an excellent candidate for “medically necessary instruction,” a revamped education department-run program that allows students to learn from home if they have health needs, including seizure disorders, that prevent them from safely returning to classrooms this school year.

But the Manhattan family soon learned that the program would only offer an hour a day of instruction, far less than what Priya received last school year when she opted for fully remote learning.

It left the family with a difficult choice: accept the possibility that she would slip behind her peers academically or risk the resurgence of a seizure disorder that has not flared up in three years but can leave her struggling to breathe.

The family decided the academic risks were too great.

“We had to make a really difficult decision to send her to school,” said Lee, noting that Priya’s school reported a positive COVID case just a couple days into the year, though his daughter was not a close contact. “Every day we pray, and we hope that she stays healthy.”

Rodney Lee with his daughter Priya.

Families across the five boroughs are grappling with the same dilemma about whether the potential safety benefits outweigh the possible academic costs of the city’s program for medically necessary instruction that allows students to learn from home.

The program only guarantees five hours a week of instruction for elementary school students and 10 hours a week for middle and high schoolers, minimums that are set by state regulations. And while hundreds of families have applied for the program despite the limited hours, some are still waiting for instruction to begin weeks after the school year started as their applications are processed.

New York City Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter said in August that she expected between 3,000 and 5,000 students to participate this year. But so far, fewer than 500 families have applied, about 40 have been rejected, and roughly 300 are currently enrolled in the program, according to education department officials. With rolling admissions, enrollment is expected to grow throughout the fall.

“I think there’s a lot of interest and a lot of suspicion at the same time,” said Maggie Moroff, a special education policy expert at Advocates for Children, referring to the limited hours of instruction.

Revamping home instruction

City officials expanded access to home instruction by explicitly defining 20 different conditions that can quickly qualify students for the program with instruction expected to start within a day or two. The move aimed to cut through some red tape and has won some praise from advocates, who said that in previous years the program’s admission criteria were not always clear, and there were sometimes delays getting instruction started.

In a decision made just weeks before the school year started, the city changed the program’s pre-pandemic model of sending educators to meet with students in-person, to also allow for virtual instruction.

“Medically Necessary Instruction provides our immunocompromised students with high-quality education and support, and keeps them connected to their school communities,” education department spokesperson Sarah Casasnovas said in a statement. “Families may apply at any time, and students receive learning materials from their home school while their application is reviewed.”

Brooklyn mom Jennifer Goddard applied to the program on behalf of her 10-year-old son, August Huete, who she said has asthma and an overactive immune system. For the first several days of school, she used the workbooks provided by his school, P.S. 216, though it was a disorienting experience for her son to miss out on a more traditional start to the school year.

A schedule Jennifer Goddard made with her son, August, while they waited to hear about the possibility of home instruction.

Now, August is receiving virtual instruction at home one-on-one for an hour a day, which has focused heavily on reading with only a couple sessions devoted to math so far. A recent math session introduced powers of 10, though some of the reading lessons have been less engaging, focusing on assessing August’s skill level, or devoting big chunks of the hour to reading a text.

“I think the teacher is doing the best he can,” she said. And despite the limited hours, she said home instruction wasn’t a hard choice. “I can find other ways to make up a loss of education,” she said, “I don’t have other ways to make up a loss of health.”

The family is filling in some of the gaps by providing supplemental social studies, art, science and physical education activities. Goddard is also paying out-of-pocket for online math classes through the website Outschool three times a week, which she expects will cost $500 through December. By then, she’s hoping August will have been vaccinated and can return to his classroom.

Jennifer Goddard with her son August.

In the meantime, Goddard said she is hopeful the city considers moving more students like her son into online group sessions that are offered for more than one hour a day.

State officials said schools should consider providing more hours of instruction than the minimums established in state regulations.

Casasnovas, the city education department spokesperson, said the city plans to offer additional hours “in the coming weeks” to students who receive remote group instruction.

‘It’s medical home instruction or withdrawing entirely’

Other families are still waiting for their home instruction applications to be processed.

Erin Alexander said her efforts to apply to the program were delayed because her pediatrician’s office was slow to provide the application’s required letter explaining why her son needs to stay home. She formally applied Sept. 22, but has not yet heard whether her application will be approved.

Alexander, who lives in Brooklyn, acknowledged that her 6-year-old son’s case falls in a gray area. He doesn’t have a condition listed on the education department’s list of pre-approved illnesses, though officials have said that students with other medical issues may still be accepted. The 6-year-old boy was born 14 weeks early, and his lungs were underdeveloped, so he was immediately intubated and put on a ventilator, spending the first three months of his life in intensive care.

Her son has also struggled with other infections, becoming hospitalized after contracting RSV and pneumonia simultaneously just after beginning day care when he was 2 years old. The family worries a coronavirus infection, or even a regular cold, could have severe consequences. On top of that, she’s worried that her autistic son, who also has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and struggles with transitions, will not do well in school if classes are disrupted by quarantines.

“It’s medical home instruction or withdrawing entirely,” she said, noting that he looked forward to his classes when they were remote last year. “That’s where our level of concern is.”

For now, Alexander remains in limbo. Even as they hope her son’s application to learn from home is approved, Alexander is not thrilled with the prospect of an hour or two a day of instruction.

If she’s denied a spot in the program, she said she’d likely homeschool him. (City officials said that it can take 7 to 10 days to process applications, which are reviewed by health department doctors or education department psychiatrists to determine if the medical need meets the city’s standards.)

So far, Alexander’s son hasn’t been receiving the constellation of therapies on his special education learning plan, and the school has not yet provided assignments for him while they wait for a decision from the city, though his teacher said she plans to provide workbooks and some digital materials soon.

The teacher offered to allow Alexander’s son to stop by for recess outside to connect with his classmates, a gesture Alexander said she deeply appreciates after more than a year of social isolation.

But whatever happens with her son’s application, she hopes it will be temporary. Asked when he would likely return to a classroom, she said it would be two weeks after his second shot. Children ages 5-11 could begin receiving shots later this fall, though the exact timeline is not clear.

“We’re not terrified of it,” she said of the vaccine. “Give it to him now.”

De Blasio insists substitutes will fill staff gaps caused by vaccine refusal. Some schools have doubts.

2021-09-30T20:34:19+00:00

On a typical day, principals can log into an education department system to request a substitute teacher when needed.

But this coming Monday will not be business as usual. It’s the first day the city’s vaccine mandate takes effect for all adults working in school buildings, and some schools are worried about staffing shortages.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has insisted that “thousands and thousands” of vaccinated substitutes will be ready to fill in for unvaccinated teachers and other staffers. But some schools have already struggled for weeks to find substitutes. Educators at those schools said they may end up reshuffling current classes or staff to cover vacancies if they’re still unable to get substitutes.

To cover current teacher absences, school leaders at one Brooklyn elementary school have been pulling educators from Integrated Co-Teaching classes, or ICT, which require one special education and one general education teacher.

At another elementary school in the Bronx with two vacancies, only one substitute has been available to cover, a teacher said. Additionally, the school is expecting between three to five paraprofessionals, or classroom aides, to be out on Monday because they won’t get vaccinated, which accounts for at least one quarter of their paraprofessional staff.

This school had a challenge to find substitutes pre-pandemic, in part because of its Bronx location, the teacher said. He doesn’t expect that to change by next week.

“There has been no contingency plan,” said the teacher, who, like others in this article, asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal. “It’s just something mentally I’m preparing myself for — who knows what’s going to happen on Monday?”

Vaccine mandate challenges

New York City’s vaccine mandate was originally set to go into effect on Sept. 27, two weeks after the first day of school. Legal disputes unsuccessfully challenged the mandate, including from the city and state unions. A federal judge ordered a delay for implementing the mandate, but this week that court cleared the way.

The ruling came in time for schools to implement the mandate on Sept. 27, as originally scheduled. De Blasio instead chose to delay until end of day Friday, meaning educators will have to show proof of at least one dose of vaccine by then. City officials wanted schools to have the weekend to staff up with necessary substitutes, de Blasio told reporters earlier this week.

On Monday morning, unvaccinated staff will not be allowed to work and must take unpaid leave.

Mark Cannizzaro, president of the union for principals and administrators, which had joined a legal fight opposing the vaccine mandate, had previously called for a delay, along with the city teachers union.

“The fact that the mandate was delayed for this week, I think, has been helpful in many people being able to secure some staff,” Cannizzaro said. “However, there are still many schools that are having difficulty finding people.”

In anticipation of staffing shortages, education department officials told schools last week that they would receive extra funding to hire substitutes, who are paid $199.27 without benefits, though long-term hires may qualify for sick leave. Katie O’Hanlon, a spokesperson for the education department, said superintendents and borough offices are working with schools that need extra support.

Over the past week, the percentage of teachers and school leaders who have submitted proof of at least one dose has steadily climbed. Roughly 89% of all education department employees complied with the vaccine mandate, including 92% of whom were teachers, according to city officials. 98% of city principals and 95% of assistant principals had been jabbed, according to Thursday data from the principals union.

That leaves just over 16,200 education department staff, including about 6,200 teachers, unvaccinated. Schools are also bracing for shortages of cafeteria workers and school safety agents.

There are 9,000 vaccinated substitute teachers, plus another 5,000 substitute paraprofessionals who can work, O’Hanlon said. She said these numbers “rise every day,” and far exceed the number of unvaccinated staffers, but she declined to say what share of paraprofessionals have been vaccinated.

In the event a principal cannot report to work Monday, a superintendent would either make an assistant principal or another type of administrator the interim acting principal, according to Craig DiFalco, a spokesperson for the principals union.

In addition to substitutes, the city has promised to send central education department staffers into schools if necessary.

Uneven effects of mandate

Some schools appear more ready than others. A Bronx elementary school principal said the only two holdouts at her school are expected to get their first dose on Friday. Many of her teachers are “politically active” and believe it’s their responsibility to get vaccinated, but others simply need the money and must stay employed, she said.

“Most people don’t have the financial ability to [quit],” she said. “Everyone I know, they need this job to survive.”

But staff shortages could particularly be a problem in specific pockets of the city. Staten Island schools seem to have higher numbers of unvaccinated staffers, said Cannizzaro, based on feedback he’s heard from school leaders there. With 66% of all residents receiving at least one dose, Staten Island ranks third for its vaccination rate, ahead of Brooklyn and the Bronx, respectively, city data show.

Schools already experiencing shortages could be for a few different reasons. Sometimes schools want someone who is qualified or has experience teaching a particular subject area, such as a foreign language, Cannizzaro said. Other times, it’s hard to find a substitute who wants to stay long-term, which is what many schools may be looking for once the mandate kicks in. For example, teacher retirees who now work as substitutes are usually only looking to work a couple days of the week, he said.

Students with disabilities caught in middle

School leaders are especially worried about vaccination rates among paraprofessionals. While vaccination uptake is “creeping up,” rates among paraprofessionals appear to be lower than other groups based on what school leaders have reported to Cannizzaro.

At the Bronx elementary school, losing even three paraprofessionals could mean a cut in services for several students with disabilities who are mandated to receive one-on-one help from such staffers.

Students with disabilities might also lose out at the Brooklyn elementary school pulling a teacher out of ICT, which mandates two teachers, one of whom must be trained in special education to teach a mix of students with disabilities and general education students.

Though a chunk of unvaccinated staffers from that school got their first dose last week, the school dealt with nearly a dozen staff absences this week, potentially from those dealing with temporary after-effects of the vaccines, a teacher said. School leaders mostly reassigned one of two teachers from ICT, even though those classes are required to have both under state education regulations.

The teacher expects that could happen next week when the mandate kicks in. The school often does not hire substitutes to fill absences because they either cannot find long-term substitutes or people who they feel are qualified, according to a teacher there.

It wouldn’t be surprising if, come Monday, the school combines entire classes to deal with staffing shortages, which can have a “destabilizing” effect on kids, the teacher said.

“Especially this early in the year, they need to settle in and feel centered on what’s going on and feel comfortable enough to begin learning,” she said. “But if there is a different teacher in your room every day, or they’re gone, and no one explains it to you, kids have trouble relaxing or focusing on the work.”

A teacher at a Brooklyn high school recounted struggles to find reliable substitutes in the past. One time, a sub walked out in the middle of the day. Sometimes subs haven’t shown up, and some of the temporary hires weren’t “great with the kids,” he said. For those reasons, the school is wary about who it brings in.

He believes the school will lose at least one teacher once the mandate goes into effect and potentially two to three others. As of Wednesday, the school had two potential leads for subs, but he’s unsure what’s going to happen next week.

“I am assuming one of the possible scenarios is that us as teachers will have a little bit more workload,” he said. “Some teachers might be asked to teach an extra period.”

Chicago’s new schools chief says more COVID transparency and testing on way

2021-09-30T16:31:10+00:00

Taking the microphone for the first time as CEO, amid calls for Chicago Public Schools to step up its safety game, Pedro Martinez promised more transparency and ramped-up testing.

Speaking Thursday at City Hall alongside Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s health commissioner, Martinez said he would consider expanding the district’s limited virtual option but stressed he strongly believes in-person learning remains the best and often safest setting for students.

After two delays, Chicago Public Schools says it will make its deadline to roll out COVID-19 screening testing at every campus this week and will, for the first time, publicly disclose a running tally of children in quarantine, Arwady said. As of Thursday, 6,322 children were quarantined, according to the updated dashboard.

From the start of school on Aug. 30 until Sept. 25, 15,000 students — about 4% of total enrollment — were quarantined, according to Arwady. Of those, an even smaller fraction — 205, or 1.4% — tested positive for COVID-19.

Martinez, in only his second day on the job, pledged more consistent updates and public disclosure of COVID-19 cases. “Every week we have to be accountable to you,” said Martinez, the former San Antonio superintendent who, in his former district, made national news by defying a Texas ban on universal masking and COVID vaccination mandates.

The Chicago Teachers Union and some parents had decried a delay in fully rolling out a COVID surveillance testing program and in beefing up the district’s contact tracing operation.

Timed to the start of the press conference, Chicago Public Schools on Thursday unveiled a dashboard update in a bid to provide timelier data. The district will, for the first time, publicly tally self-reported COVID cases among students and staff in addition to the new disclosures around quarantine numbers. Prior to now, the district only publicly disclosed cases confirmed by contact tracers — an approach many parents and the city’s teachers union said resulted in considerable undercounts of active cases.

“The numbers may change but for transparency, we felt it was important to put all the actionable cases — including the ones that the Chicago Department of Health heard about and the ones CPS heard about,” Arwady said Thursday. That includes reporting from tests taken at-home by families.

Still, in an overarching message to parents and the community, Martinez and Arwady argued forcefully that Chicago’s public schools are safe, with COVID cases in line with broader community numbers and no outbreaks so far, defined as five or more related cases. The reopening of district schools has not triggered an uptick in childhood coronavirus cases in the city.

“As a father and CEO, I will not allow our children not to be in a safe space,” Martinez said after mentioning that his two children, who both have asthma, will start as students in the district soon.

Said Arwady, “I want to reassure you that the procedures and protections Chicago Public Schools has in place are working.”

The district also said it now has more 30 contact tracers and about 30 additional staff members who were reassigned to help in that role, still shy of the roughly 80-member contact tracing team officials have promised by later this fall. Meanwhile, only a tiny fraction of families have so far opted into voluntary COVID testing for their children, and Martinez called on more parents to sign consent forms.

The city’s pledge for more transparency around COVID-19 cases comes just as Martinez starts the job with the district’s safety rules under the microscope. Martinez on Wednesday met with Randi Weingarten, the head of the country’s largest educator union, who was in town to back the Chicago Teachers Union demand for reaching a written school reopening agreement.

The union has pointed to the case of Jensen Elementary, on the city’s West Side, where recently 10 out of 17 classrooms were quarantined, and family members have said the mothers of two students died of complications related to the coronavirus. Arwady told reporters earlier this week that her department’s investigation of one of those deaths has not so far found evidence of ties to in-school transmission of the virus.

Some families have been calling for an expanded virtual option since before the school year’s start, saying they just did not feel comfortable to send their unvaccinated children to campuses as the delta variant caused a late summer spike in cases. A small group of parents organized to keep their students at home and challenge the district to allow them remote access.

But on Thursday, Martinez seemed reluctant to open up the district’s virtual option, now open only for medically fragile students, to more families. He spoke about the academic and mental health damage he had seen among San Antonio students after remote learning last year. And he said he would need to ensure the district has the capacity to ensure high-quality virtual learning.

“We don’t want a remote option that’s, frankly, virtual baby-sitting,” he said.

The district had twice pushed its deadline for having weekly testing of all employees and students whose families consented to the nasal swabs. Thursday was its latest deadline, with a last-minute scramble to line up a testing vendor and conduct background checks for its staff. More recently, after an outcry over the Jensen cases, officials announced that they will also bring in Lurie Children’s Hospital to conduct additional testing at schools with five or more confirmed COVID cases.

Chicago Teachers Union leaders and Weingarten, the American Federation of Teachers President, on Wednesday called for the district to bolster safety measures, including COVID-19 testing. At a press conference outside of Englewood STEM High School, CTU President Jesse Sharkey said the safety measures that were missing at Jensen were missing across most of the district.

The union wanted to see an “enforceable agreement” with the district that would set up “guard rails” to protect students, teachers and families, Sharkey said.

“Jensen was a school where you had 60 percent of the students out and two parent deaths, and they have not paused that school,” he said. “We want an assurance from the district about when they are going to say it’s time to clean this school, it’s time to test everybody, it’s time to make sure the environment is safe.”

Criteria for closing entire school buildings have been a stumbling block in lengthy negotiations between the union and the district; district leaders have said flipping entire buildings to remote learning would disrupt learning for many students who are not exposed to the virus.

Arwardy said again on Thursday that her department’s investigation has found no link between the Jensen cases and a parent’s death there, saying tests of quarantined students had come up negative. Martinez said that he is eager to sign an agreement with the union, but that he has strong concerns about some of its demands, including for social distancing of 6 feet.

“It’s not realistic and, frankly, it’s not aligned with the science,” he said.

The union said Martinez had mischaracterized their proposal, which more recently has called for 3 feet of social distancing.

Mauricio Peña contributed reporting.

First month of classes in Detroit sees virtual school challenges, demand for hourly employees continues

2021-09-29T23:07:23+00:00

Three weeks into the school year, Detroit Public Schools Community District officials still are fielding complaints from parents about its new virtual school.

Some of those concerns, about classes with no teachers and operational glitches, were aired during a virtual parent meeting Tuesday night with Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, who told parents the district is working to address the problems.

Vitti also provided an update on enrollment, which he said continues to look strong, and on district efforts to address support staff shortages.

The meeting was part of a series Vitti and school board member Corletta Vaughn have been holding to hear directly from parents and to answer questions.

Here’s what parents and Vitti had to say on some key issues:

K-12 enrollment on the rise

Vitti said district enrollment is “about where it was in the spring and it is increasing.” The district’s spring enrollment was about 49,000, according to state records. While that’s still below the pre-pandemic level of nearly 51,000 students, it was above where the district began in fall 2020.

In addition, he said, about 98% of students are back for in-person learning. “I’m just excited to see the vast majority of our students back in school,” Vitti said.

The superintendent suggested that the enrollment numbers were improved in part due to the district’s ongoing home visit program, in which parents and district employees knock on doors to track down students who haven’t attended school.

Virtual school off to rocky start

A handful of parents came to the listening session with complaints about the district’s virtual school.

“I do think our children with virtual learning have been slighted,” said Aliya Moore, a parent who said that her child, who has an individualized education plan, or IEP, did not have a resource teacher to support them while completing assignments or taking tests.

Another parent noted that her daughter lacked a teacher in three of her classes this semester. In several instances, she said, the principal took attendance and then her daughter and her classmates would “sit there for 45 minutes or however long the class is and not do anything.”

“(My daughter) doesn’t want to fail or see her grade point average drop because she is an honor roll student,” the parent said.

“I don’t want to push her back to Benjamin Carson (High School of Science and Medicine), but I do want her to be able to get her education the same if possible. She’s in the 11th grade so these are crucial times these next two years.”

About 2,000 families are currently enrolled in the virtual school, Vitti said. Prior to the beginning of the school year, 2,500 students were enrolled. The superintendent added that he and other school officials would look into parent complaints.

“The development of the virtual school could have been smoother,” Vitti said.

“The challenge was we were having conversations about virtual school back in June and trying to get a sense of how many families were going to sign up for virtual school.”

Increased interest in virtual learning brought challenges that the school has had to address in the past several weeks, including hiring certified teachers from outside the district to fill in needed roles.

“I will commit that those positions will be filled, Vitti said. As of this week, he added, the virtual school has to hire two more teacher positions.

District makes progress on employee shortages

Vitti also noted progress in addressing the district’s security guard shortage.

Earlier this month, Vitti told school board members that a shortage of guards was forcing the district to increase hourly wages.

On Tuesday, he said the district has since boosted security guard pay to $16 an hour, from $12.61.

Vitti estimated that the district had received 200 applicants for 40 security guard positions since the district held its own career fair to attract recruits.

“We’re seeing a lot of interest in it so we should be fully staffed with security guards soon,” Vitti said. “I think a lot of people do want to work for the district. It’s an opportunity to work with our students.”

The shortage has been exacerbated in part by the pandemic, when the district needed fewer security guards because fewer students were in buildings. With students back in the classroom, the district is currently seeking hourly employees for guards and other positions such as bus drivers, paraeducators, and cafeteria workers.

“Hourly wages and just hourly employment through the city and throughout metro Detroit is challenged right now, it’s hard to hire people right now at an hourly wage,” Vitti said. The district is negotiating with unions to offer similar wage increases for other positions.

Editor’s note: This story was updated after an editing error resulted in the incorrect number for virtual school enrollment prior to the beginning of the school year.

Michigan will disclose fewer school COVID outbreaks under new rules

2021-09-28T23:04:26+00:00

School-related COVID outbreaks are increasing in Michigan but you might not know that by looking at the data.

That’s because the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Monday changed how it defines a school outbreak.

The change could decrease the number of outbreaks reported and make it more difficult to track Michigan outbreaks over time.

Until now, two COVID cases associated with a school constituted an outbreak, but this week the agency increased the threshold to three. In addition, the state has begun counting as outbreaks instances where at least 10% of teachers and students in a specified group contract COVID through transmission linked to the school.

That’s in accordance with the definition of outbreak used by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, which recommended in an August report that states standardize outbreak reporting.

Health Department spokesperson Lynn Sutfin acknowledged that “the new outbreak definition threshold may exclude some circumstances, which previously met the definition.”

For example, an outbreak reported last week at Berrien Springs Middle School in southwest Michigan would not have been reported this week because it involved only two students.

The department began using the new definition on Monday. It will not adjust historical data to conform to the new definition, Sutfin said.

“It makes sense to think about how to have consistency across states so we can make comparisons about COVID spread and outbreaks across states, however it will make it much more difficult for people to track the trajectory across time in Michigan,” said Katharine Strunk, director of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative at Michigan State University.

EPIC has been studying how in-person learning contributes to the spread of COVID.

“The danger in doing this midstream is that people who are not aware of the change will assume outbreaks have been reduced when they have not,” Strunk said. “It may lead people to make false assumptions about safety inside the school building.”

That’s a problem because people are using outbreak data to decide on mitigation strategies such as whether to send their children to school with masks, she said.

Of 297 Michigan school outbreaks reported in the last 30 days, 40 would not have been reported under the new definition.

Leaders of the epidemiologists’ council did not respond to questions Tuesday but their August report explained that consistent data is necessary “to characterize the epidemiology of the disease in the school setting, to measure the burden of disease in the school setting, and to inform public health action, including monitoring the impact of vaccination.”

NYC schools to begin screening students for social-emotional skills next month

2021-09-28T20:27:38+00:00

Principal Emily Paige wanted to shift the culture of her school.

Her Brooklyn middle school, Urban Assembly Unison, had landed on the state’s list of low-performing schools five years ago and saw several reported incidents of disruptive or violent behavior.

Paige turned to her network of Urban Assembly schools for help, and they suggested her staff use a 10-minute online screener for each child to understand their social-emotional skills. Paige believes it was a first step in improving trust between students and staff and building an entire social-emotional curriculum at Unison.

“It helped the teachers begin to see ways of proactively building in opportunities for students to exercise positive behavioral habits that build up these skill sets,” Paige said.

Starting next month, staff at schools across New York City will begin using this screening tool — known as the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment, or DESSA — to understand students’ social-emotional health after nearly two years of unprecedented disruption.

How it will work: Teachers or other staff members will answer questions in an online screener about students. The questions will focus on a student’s social-emotional skills, such as decision making, self awareness, and personal responsibility. While officials have not pointed to a specific date, a department spokesperson said they’ll begin rolling out the tool to schools next month “so that adults have time to get to know students” before they fill out the screener, though it’s unclear if it will be the same screener Paige used or a shorter version. Officials are hoping staff spend the first few weeks of school “forming relationships” with students, such as through individual check-ins, as suggested in the system’s “Bridge To School” plan.

In July, the city awarded a three-year, $18 million contract to Aperture, an education technology company that created a platform that includes the screening tool itself as well as tools staff can use to determine what support students may need. Officials previously said the cost would be fully covered by the billions of federal COVID relief dollars that went to city schools. Twenty-five other schools use this screener already, according to a description of the contract to the Panel for Educational Policy, the largely mayoral appointed board that approves major school contracts and policies.

Some children might need individual or group counseling, mentoring, or small group social skill building, said an education department spokesperson. Others might need time in class to write in a journal. The tool could also help in creating behavior intervention plans for students. Even though the results will be used to determine support for students, schools won’t be required to provide anything specific, the spokesperson said.

Officials said the goal is for all schools to use the screener this year, but schools that are already using such tools won’t be expected to use it, the spokesperson said. The education department has started contacting “select schools” as well as department higher-ups to explain how schools can use the screener. The department plans to discuss the screener with more school communities, including staff and families, “in the weeks to come,” which could be through meetings, emails and professional development sessions.

It appears that many staffers aren’t yet aware how the screener will be used, and many families are unaware of their schools’ plans for social skills screening or that parents will be able to opt their children out of it. While some advocates are hopeful about the tool, they’re concerned about how — or whether — the assessment and its findings will be communicated to families.

“We just haven’t heard of a comprehensive plan to inform families about this assessment, and I think it’s important for families to know and for parents and caregivers to be aware that there are students being assessed, but then also what the results are,” said Rohini Singh, a senior staff attorney with the School Justice Project at advocacy organization Advocates For Children.

Singh emphasized that this tool does not screen for mental health needs and believes that sort of screening should be conducted by a licensed mental health professional.

Vanessa Velez, a social worker at a school in Manhattan, said she hasn’t heard any details about the screeners beyond what she has read in the news. She’s already getting staff referrals of students displaying signs of anxiety or in need of extra support, which usually come later in the school year.

She said she’s unsure if the screener will be helpful, especially beyond what schools may already be doing, and worries that it will turn into just another task for teachers.

“Not to say this wouldn’t be helpful, maybe for some schools it will be,” Velez said. “I think that’s a big issue — it’s this big unclear vague thing that’s supposed to happen.”

‘Permission’ to slow down

The DESSA screener was first created in 2008. City officials are touting the screening tool for being strengths-based — meaning it asks questions about a students’ positive behaviors and focuses on building those up, instead of seeking negative ones, such as whether a child frequently annoys their peers. That is also what makes Singh, the attorney from Advocates for Children, optimistic so that schools don’t solely focus on “risk factors.”

An early study of the DESSA screener showed it was “very effective” in identifying students with social, emotional and behavioral problems, by screening children who were already known to need support in those areas compared with their peers. A 2016 study showed that students who were identified as needing social-emotional support by a shorter version of the screener were 4.5 times more likely to have a “serious” disciplinary problem by the end of the school year.

At Unison, it can be hard to see some of the results on paper.

The school’s daily attendance rate had barely budged before the pandemic shuttered schools, according to data Paige provided. And chronic absenteeism actually worsened initially before improving by nearly 6 percentage points before the pandemic.

School surveys show that the percentage of students who said they trust their teachers grew slightly from the 2016-2017 school year, when the school was considered an “at-risk” school, and the following school year, though it dropped slightly in 2018-2019.

But for Paige, the change in school culture is palpable. A department spokesperson said behavior-related incidents at the school have dropped by 58% between 2014-2015 and the school year before the pandemic set in, though he declined to provide year-by-year data.

Paige said the screener allowed teachers to find ways for students to practice positive social skills, such as improving personal responsibility. For example, her teachers now know to carve out time to help sixth graders practice managing their schedules and classwork during the first month and a half of their school year, since those students are new to middle school and expected to take on more academically. The school used advisory sessions to work on these skills and now has an entire social-emotional curriculum, where students are starting to assess their own skills four times a year.

She thinks this tool will be especially important this year as many students return to buildings for the first time since March 2020. Many may have struggled in isolation for so long, while others may be dealing with the death of loved ones. Others may have thrived at home and are nervous about returning to school.

“This tool gives staff that time and that space and that permission to really slow down and think individually about each child in a way that I think all of our kids really need from us this year,” Paige said.

‘Drinking from a firehose’

Aperture, the company that created the screening tool platform, declined a request for an interview, instead referring Chalkbeat to city officials.

On its website, Aperture said it works with more than 3,000 schools, though it’s unclear if that includes the entire New York City school district. The state of Connecticut announced a deal with Aperture in March to purchase its social-emotional screening tool.

The company appears busy in the wake of the pandemic: In a May interview with a North Carolina publication, Aperture CEO Jessica Adamson said the company was “drinking from a firehose.”

Many schools that have long focused on social-emotional learning may have already created plans to address their students’ social-emotional needs after a vast disruption to in-person schooling.

Julie Zuckerman, who oversees Castle Bridge Elementary School in Washington Heights, said it’s been the school’s policy to check in individually with children and more so now, especially since there are children whom staff members haven’t seen for 18 months.

“The whole homecoming thing the chancellor is talking about? That’s how we start the year anyway,” Zuckerman said.

Summer school in Chicago was billed as a big deal. But data is scarce on how it went.

2021-09-28T11:30:00+00:00

Chicago trumpeted a bigger, better summer school program this year as an all-important first step in re-engaging students amid the pandemic’s disruption. But with the new school year well underway, the district has offered little public accounting yet of how it all went.

There has been no update on the outcomes of the summer school revamp for the school board. In response to Chalkbeat inquiries and record requests, the district provided data that is spotty and, by the district’s own admission, somewhat unreliable.

Overall, about 80,000 Chicago Public Schools students enrolled in a wide range of summer programs — many more than last year’s all-virtual summer school drew but short of the 90,000-plus district leaders had aimed to serve.

More established programs such as a summer orientation for incoming freshmen were fully enrolled, while new offerings such as a similar program for sophomores struggled to fill seats. But the 340,000-student district did not provide any information on how many students actually showed up and stuck with those programs.

As every year, the district tapped certain schools to host centrally managed programs drawing students from multiple campuses, while some schools also offered in-house academic and enrichment programs. But the district also passed on $21 million in federal pandemic recovery dollars to schools, with leeway to spend it on summer offerings or afterschool programs — on top of $8 million in federal funding CPS used to expand its credit recovery and Summer Bridge programs.

In the end, a Chalkbeat analysis found, summer programs varied significantly across campuses, with some schools hosting 20 or more opportunities while others offered just one.

District officials noted that Chicago has had all-hands-on-deck for the push to fully reopen schools this fall, making the task of compiling summer school data a much lower priority, especially given a slew of leadership vacancies. And with the federal dollars arriving relatively late in the spring, some schools instead likely chose to spend them on afterschool programming this fall.

“We’ve been focused on reopening,” said board President Miguel del Valle last week after a lengthy board meeting where board members heard reports about attendance, reengagement efforts, and key safety data. “We’re still asking questions about the beginning of the year — that has been our focus.”

Across the country last spring, summer school was billed as a high-stakes bid to jump-start academic recovery and reengagement, even as some districts warned of staffing and student recruitment challenges after a trying 2020-21.

But after announcing new and improved summer programs with much fanfare and an influx of federal dollars, some districts, including other large urban districts such as New York City, have not shown evidence that the investment paid off for students. That might offer a preview of how districts track their use of federal recovery funds and measure its benefits, after the feds placed little reporting and accountability requirements on school districts.

Chicago Public Schools said in a statement that the district worked closely with school and network leaders to ensure schools offered some summer programming unless their buildings were closed for construction. In total, after the arrival of federal dollars, up to $55 million was earmarked for these programs, doubling the number of seats available.

Feds stress importance of summer school

Susana Salgado’s sixth grader was one student the district had hoped to recruit. Instead, he sat out the summer program.

The boy struggled with virtual learning last school year, falling behind academically amid technical issues and other hurdles. Last spring, Salgado found out he was flagged as a good candidate for summer school.

With the district opting to automatically promote all elementary students to the next grade, the Summer Bridge was not a requirement, officials explained, but would be a chance to get caught up ahead of the new school year.

Then Salgado found out the program would not be offered at James Otis World Language Academy, the West Side school her son attends. She says the school could not tell her which campus would host that program. It also wasn’t clear if he would receive a computer to do summer school work. And the family would be on the hook to provide transportation. (Otis did host in-person and virtual extended school year programs for students with disabilities and a program for English learners.)

Salgado says COVID safety was a major concern for her family, which had decided to stick with remote learning when campuses reopened for some in-person instruction last spring. What safety measures would the district take during summer school? And could she trust an unfamiliar school to implement them?

“We decided we wouldn’t attend — even if our child repeats his classes,” she said in Spanish. “I know of many parents who told me the same thing. It was a difficult situation. But safety is the most important thing for our family.”

Districts across the country set out to expand and rethink summer school last spring to start reengaging students such as Salgado’s son, many of them tapping federal dollars from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

Biden himself touted the heightened importance of summer learning, while education secretary Miguel Cardona urged schools to “think outside the box” in designing summer programs and recruiting students. Gov. J.B. Pritzker also urged districts back in April to start planning summer programs early and to be ambitious.

Chicago said it would do just that: roll out a beefed-up program that would offer more opportunities to more students than ever before. It launched several new programs and expanded others. It offered teachers and other employees who signed up to work in certain programs an extra $200 per week in incentive pay.

But it also gave schools leeway to design their own academic and enrichment programs, arguing that would allow school leaders to tailor the offerings to their students’ needs. Then-CEO Janice Jackson said the district was gearing up to serve about 90,000 students, but was fully prepared to open up more seats.

How well did it go? It’s tough to say.

The district declined Chalkbeat’s request to visit a program or speak with a principal about summer school. After Chalkbeat made Freedom of Information Act requests for school-level program type, capacity, enrollment, and completion data, the district only provided a list of programs by school for the roughly 500 district-run and charter campuses that hosted summer school.

The FOIA office said it could only provide districtwide capacity and enrollment numbers but cautioned that because campuses track these metrics differently and the district does not routinely compile that data centrally, the numbers could be inaccurate. It provided no data on students actually completing summer programs.

Back in September 2020, the district shared some summer school outcomes: Of the 58,600 students flagged as eligible for summer programs, about 21,600 enrolled, and just more than 14,200 completed them. But this year, despite the high stakes officials had said summer school carried, no information was shared with the board, and members did not inquire in public meetings.

Overall, the list of summer programs shows that the district did deliver on offering a wide range of academic, enrichment, and athletic programs across the city. Comparing summer offerings among schools comes with a big caveat: Because CPS chooses some buildings to host programs that draw students from multiple campuses, schools don’t have complete control over what they offer. Still, program data from the district shows some schools ended up with lengthy lists of varied offerings, while others only had one option to get students back through the doors, interacting with staff and peers.

Enrico Tonti Elementary in Gage Park, for instance, hosted 27 programs: in-house tutoring or academic support for most grades, pre-K and kindergarten orientations, and a slew of arts, technology, robotics, and other clubs. Elementary schools such as Nightingale, also in Gage Park, Lavizzo in Roseland, and Peterson in North Park also offered more than 20 options each.

On the flip side, some schools hosted only one program: a tutoring option at Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary in Humboldt Park, Summer Bridge at Talcott in West Town, and an enrichment program at Pullman Elementary on the city’s Far South Side.

Elaine Allensworth, who heads the University of Chicago’s Consortium on School Research, said offering multiple opportunities for students this summer was important — chances for students to not only catch up academically, but also reconnect with their school communities. But she cautions that not all programs are created equal. Quality matters, too.

Sometimes, a too-big slate of programs can be tough to manage, Allensworth said. “There are pluses and minuses to having lots of programs.”

Stronger enrollment for established programs

Overall, the district appears to have seen strong enrollment in well-established programs that help students make key transitions. Its Freshman Connection enrollment exceeded capacity, with more than 6,500 students signed up. Kickoff to Kindergarten also seems to have drawn robust interest.

Not so with two new programs the district launched as part of the summer school expansion: Preview to Pre-K (with enrollment at just more than a fifth of about 2,860 available seats) and Sophomore Connection (at half of 6,200 available seats). Enrollment was low in the district’s extended school year program for students with disabilities, even after the district scaled it back substantially in response to lackluster interest. In fact, the enrollment of 3,450 students was less than half that for the program’s all-virtual version in 2020.

One elementary principal, who asked to remain anonymous because she was not authorized by the district to discuss summer school, said she was proud of the program her school designed for the first time this year. The school, which serves many homeless students and students with disabilities, offered a full-day program emphasizing socializing, emotional support, and physical activity, with academics mixed in.

The district had projected low turnout, but the actual showing came in even lower, the principal said. A fraction of the students flagged to participate showed up, with the program remaining well under capacity even after drawing students from neighboring campuses.

“Still, I am glad we were able to offer this program,” the principal said. “We focused on social and emotional learning and social interactions with peers, and it was great to see the students so happy interacting.”

In a discussion on a Chicago parent group’s private Facebook page back in June, some parents reported that they had received detailed information from their schools about summer offerings and how to enroll. Others had not heard anything, at a time when they were raring to know their options and finalize plans.

On that thread, one principal noted that the federal outside-of-school time dollars were a welcome addition to school budgets but arrived relatively late in the year, leaving a narrow window to do the work of recruiting staff and students and coordinating summer programs.

Salgado, the mom of the Otis sixth grader, said the family is starting the year with a lot of anxiety about returning to in-person learning — but also hopes that the boy will catch up academically. He spent a lot of time at home this summer.

Vaccine mandate for NYC school employees can move forward, judges rule

2021-09-27T23:37:13+00:00

A federal appeals court has removed a temporary block on New York City’s vaccine mandate for education department employees, paving the way for officials to require all school staff to receive a vaccine dose or else be put on unpaid leave.

The ruling, issued by a panel of judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, reverses the court’s decision on Friday to block the vaccine mandate while the appeal is argued.

A hearing in the case was initially scheduled for Wednesday, with the vaccine mandate on hold in the interim. But Monday’s unexpected decision appears to allow the city to enforce its vaccine mandate immediately.

The vaccine mandate was initially scheduled to go into effect at midnight on Monday, with educators who failed to provide proof of at least one vaccine dose put on unpaid leave and barred from entering their school buildings. The mandate will now go into effect starting Monday, Oct. 4, according to Danielle Filson, an education department spokesperson. Educators will have to show proof of at least one vaccine dose by the end of the day Friday.

“Vaccinations are our strongest tool in the fight against COVID-19 — this ruling is on the right side of the law and will protect our students and staff,” Filson said in a statement.

The ruling comes on the heels of a similar ruling by a state court judge that lifted a separate temporary hold on the vaccine mandate, saying that the case would likely not be successful on the merits.

Roughly 148,000 education department employees will be subject to the mandate when it goes into effect, including about 78,000 teachers and thousands of school safety agents who work in schools and are employed by the police department.

As of Monday, officials said 87% of all education department employees have had at least one dose, including 91% of teachers and 97% of principals. That leaves about 19,000 education department staff, and 7,800 teachers, who have yet to demonstrate proof of a first dose and could be barred from schools when the mandate goes into effect.

Officials have been girding for staff shortages as a result of the mandate, since a small but significant percentage of teachers, school safety agents, and other staff remain unvaccinated. Union officials have argued the city does not have adequate plans to handle thousands of vacancies, though city officials say they have substitutes at the ready.

“The city has a lot of work before it to ensure that enough vaccinated staff will be available by the new deadline,” Michael Mulgrew, president of the city’s teachers union, said in a statement. “We will be working with our members to ensure, as far as possible, that our schools can open safely as the vaccine mandate is enforced.”

De Blasio said Monday that he expects the prospect of lost paychecks to prompt an increase in vaccination rates among education department staff, which have been incrementally rising.

“They have to make a really big decision,” de Blasio said. “[Do] they really want to give up on their kids, and the school community? Do they want to give up a paycheck? I think a lot of people, when they really think about it, are going to realize that getting vaccinated is the right thing to do.”

Parents, here’s how you can help your kids in math — without worksheets

2021-09-27T17:21:09+00:00

Math resources for parents

Ideas at Work from the Erikson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative

A series of short articles about easy math activities and games for children in preschool through third grade. Most are also available in Spanish.

Learning Trajectories from the Marsico Institute at the University of Denver A series of playful math activities for children 0-8, organized by topic (E.g. counting, patterns, or measurement), The sequence of activities follow children’s development of mathematical thinking. Activities are also available in Spanish. Registration is free.

Dinner Table Math Hacks

A series of YouTube videos with examples of family math activities, created by Angela McIver

DREME Family Math from a national network of early math experts based at Stanford University

Fun math activities that parents can do with their children, divided by activity type (E.g. Cooking, Daily Routines, or Reading Together). Many include downloadable guides and some are available in Spanish.

Stress and short tempers: Schools struggle with behavior as students return

2021-09-27T09:00:00+00:00

Alyssa Rodriguez expected a rocky readjustment this school year. The Chicago social worker figured she’d see more students who felt anxious, frustrated by their schoolwork, or disoriented by unfamiliar routines.

A month into school, she says she underestimated the challenge ahead. Student behavior referrals are up, as middle schoolers hurt each others’ feelings with comments they’d usually only be bold enough to say online. She and other social workers have seen more verbal and physical fights, and worried parents are calling with concerns about their child’s shorter-than-usual temper.

“It’s definitely a lot more than I think any of us were mentally prepared for, even though we tried to prepare for it,” Rodriguez said.

Schools across the country say they’re seeing an uptick in disruptive behaviors. Some are obvious and visible, like students trashing bathrooms, fighting over social media posts, or running out of classrooms. Others are quieter calls for help, like students putting their head down and refusing to talk.

“This is a prolonged adjustment period,” said Dr. Tali Raviv, the associate director of the Center for Childhood Resilience at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. As children return to school, “There’s much more interaction, there’s much less downtime to recharge, there’s much less flexibility.”

The behavior issues are a reflection of the stress the pandemic placed on children, experts say, upending their education, schedules, and social lives. For students dealing with grief, mental health issues, or the layered effects of poverty and racism, big transitions can be even more challenging.

Anxiety and chronic stress also trigger a child’s “survival brain,” as Raviv put it. While some students retreat, others feel like they’re on high alert — turning a nudge in the hallway into cause for an outburst, for example. “You can get these really big reactions over really small things,” she said.

Coupled with staff exhaustion, the behavior challenges are making school environments more tense than educators and students had anticipated — and underscoring how much support students need right now.

‘It’s like we’ve forgotten how to socialize’

Alex Magaña saw behavioral challenges crop up last year at the two Denver middle schools he oversees as executive principal, Grant Beacon and Kepner Beacon, when students were largely confined to one classroom. Students would occasionally rip off their masks and storm away, leaving staff members to chase them around the building, trying to prevent more disruption.

When classes resumed last month, the acting out intensified, Magaña said. There was a fight on the first day of school instigated by a social media slight, plus more defiance and challenging of authority.

“It’s hard when there are bumps,” said Kelsy Schmidt, the schools’ dean of instruction. “We want everything to be nice and smooth, and have high academic growth for students. But there are bumps now.”

Across the district, fights are up 21% this fall from the pre-pandemic fall of 2019, according to statistics shared publicly by Denver Public Schools officials. Mike Eaton, the chief of safety for the 90,000-student district, said he doesn’t know for sure what is driving the increase but suspects staff shortages are playing a role.

Chanyce Johnson, a junior at Houston’s North Forest High School, has also noticed more student fights this year, especially among freshmen and sophomores. Social interactions feel different, too.

“Everybody is off in their own little la la land. It’s like we just go there, get to class, get out of the class, go home,” said Johnson, who’s also a member of Houston’s student-led congress. During group projects in class, teachers have to urge students to talk with one another. “It’s like we’ve forgotten how to socialize since we’ve been out of school for so long.”

Among teachers of younger students, it’s not uncommon to hear that students seem two grade levels behind socially. Educators have noticed that elementary schoolers who spent much of the last two years learning online are — to no one’s surprise — struggling to share and walk slowly in the hallway.

One challenge is that teachers often can’t point back to established rules and expectations, because those looked very different last year.

In Los Angeles, Cabrillo Avenue Elementary principal Nathan Mac Ainsh is hearing from parents asking why their children are getting hit on the playground. The reality is they’re just playing “a little too rough,” and not used to the rules on the playground after last year’s recess consisted of socially distanced walks.

“We’re doing a lot of conflict resolution,” Mac Ainsh said. “But it takes time.”

Some students have responded differently. In Chicago, Rodriguez has watched students who are fearful of the virus refuse to get out of the car or hover at the entrance of school, afraid to go inside.

Other schools that expected to see more emotional outbursts and disruptive behavior haven’t seen them. In some places, staff have noticed behavior improvement, as students regain the structure and schedules they didn’t have last school year — though they acknowledge it may be a “honeymoon phase.”

“Kids are excited to be in this social environment. They missed each other,” said Shirley Brown, the high school principal at Detroit Edison Public School Academy. She’s noticed behavior is better than usual, perhaps because students don’t want to risk being suspended. “The students really want to be in the building, and they’re not quick to jeopardize that.”

Holiday exhaustion hits early for teachers

Complicating how schools are responding to disruptive behavior is the fact that many educators are on edge, too. Staff shortages and quarantines have stretched teachers thin, leaving many with less of the patience needed to de-escalate student conflicts. Some say they’re already as tired as they’d typically be by Thanksgiving.

“Normally we are really energized and rocking and rolling at the end of September,” said Roxanne James, the principal of Jerome Mack Middle School in Las Vegas. This year, staffers are already exhausted. “They’re being asked to be those emotional supports for kids, for their families, for each other,” she said. “And they themselves have gone through the trauma of the pandemic.”

That community-wide stress takes a toll, Raviv said.

“One of the things different about COVID is that it’s not something just happening to one student and one family, and the teacher is on the outside. Teachers are right in there,” she said. “What we see a lot of is teachers feeling overwhelmed and burned out, and that does make a difference in how available they can be for their students.”

Sixteen-year-old Johnson has seen that dynamic at her Houston high school.

“You can tell some teachers really, really do love their job, but I feel like some teachers over the course of the pandemic, they really got a short temper,” she said.

She’s seen educators yell at students for talking and assign punishments usually used for younger students, like silent lunch. Johnson wants to see her school hire more counselors so they can spend more time talking with students and less time building schedules. Her counselor, she said, is always busy.

Teachers and students look for solutions

Schools are making changes meant to help, often with the help of COVID relief funding. Missoula County schools in Montana, for example, hired a dozen additional staffers to focus on student behavior and mental health. Now they have staff at every elementary and middle school to teach coping strategies to kids who are getting frustrated quickly.

Brown’s school in Detroit adjusted schedules this year so every morning begins with 15 minutes students can spend on deep breathing, discussing something in the news, or venting about personal stress.

“The needs are different than in a typical year because there’s such a high level of grief,” Brown said. “If they don’t have the opportunity to talk it out, they’ll act it out.”

Schools within the Indianapolis-based Phalen Leadership Academies charter network expanded their art and theater programs, and brought in adults — “semi-therapists,” as the network’s CEO Earl Martin Phalen dubbed them — to help kids make connections and sort through their emotions. The organization also boosted staffing by 10% across its 25 schools, with a focus on coaches and teachers who spend time daily with students to build “sticky relationships,” Phalen said.

Students are working to improve school environments, too. When school was remote, 15-year-old Carlos Alvarado, like many teens, realized that LGBTQIA+ students were experiencing less bullying away from school. When Alvarado, who uses he and they pronouns, returned this year to Houston’s Furr High School wearing a skirt, they were called names and filmed by older students.

He’s now planning a week of activities to make his school more welcoming, including a day where students will be asked to wear pins with their pronouns.

“I know people’s judgments and other people’s opinions. I was like: ‘Why not make an activity where people can learn?’” they said. “I feel these activities that we’re creating helps.”

At the two Denver middle schools, leaders are trying to take an empathetic approach. They have incorporated more downtime into daily schedules and loosened some rules, too — if students want to wear their hoodies up, they can.

One day earlier this month, Schmidt was making coffee when she saw another staff member consoling a former student sobbing in the hallway. She took the eighth grade boy under her arm, walked with him outside, and listened.

“Don’t we all sometimes just need a safe person to walk with?” Schmidt said. “A lot of our kids need that right now.”

Melanie Asmar, Matt Barnum, Sarah Darville, Eric Gorski, Tracie Mauriello, and Sharon Noguchi contributed reporting.

Trash piles, staff shortages and COVID testing woes — a rocky start for Philly schools

2021-09-24T23:32:08+00:00

Trash continues to pile up at schools around Philadelphia, including Houston school in Mount Airy, where two dumpsters overflowed in the corner of a yard next to the 100-year-old building. Students in Mitchell Elementary in Kingsessing did not get school meals on Thursday because there were no food service workers to prepare and serve it.

The bus driver shortage has not abated, and some children are still not getting to school on time, or not getting home for hours. And most schools lack the personnel and, in some cases, supplies to follow the latest recommendation of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to regularly test unvaccinated students for COVID.

The start of the school year in the Philadelphia school district has been chaotic and problem filled, with a labor shortage driving many of the unresolved issues. Three weeks into the year, many parents, teachers and principals are frustrated, stressed and angry.

“There are so many things wrong with the start of this school year that I hardly know where to begin,” parent Stephanie King told the Board of Education Thursday night.

Robin Cooper, president of the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators, which represents principals, said the school year has been difficult “on all sides.”

“I’ve gotten a number of calls, I have people in their offices crying. I have administrators not getting home until 7 or 8 p.m. because of the busing situation. They’re stuck, and they can’t pick up their own children,” she said. “My folks are falling apart.”

District officials still are trying to fill a number of jobs, from 218 openings for teachers and counselors, to 748 vacancies for a variety of other roles, including teacher assistants, bus drivers and attendants, custodians, food service workers, nurses and special education aides.

A district contractor, J.P. Mascaro & Sons, said trash has piled up in schoolyards because of a shortage of drivers.

“We are trying diligently to fill as many vacancies as possible,” said Monica Lewis, a district spokesperson. “There are shortages in every facet of the organization. Districts across the country are facing the same challenges. It’s a matter of finding qualified people to take the roles when offered.”

At Mitchell Elementary, where students didn’t get school meals Thursday because of staff shortages, the principal ordered pizza. Lewis said there was food on site, but the principal thought ordering the pizza was the “easiest thing to do.” Staff disputes that meals had been delivered.

The issue was resolved by Friday, Lewis said.

Some advocates say they could have helped if the district had been more transparent about its problems and needs.

“The district started the year with 1,000 vacancies,” said Shakeda Gaines, president of the citywide Home and School Association. “If they had told us, we would have come in with more expectations to help instead of pointing fingers. We have parents who are willing to volunteer who are not allowed in their buildings.”

But Lewis defended the district’s efforts to reach out. “I think we have been transparent,” she said. “We’ve been clear about the bus driver shortage and food service, and things of that nature. We’ve been recruiting for months now.”

Teachers, nurses and students also have expressed concerns about COVID safety protocols, from testing to social distancing. The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers fiercely objected to the district’s decision this year to test only symptomatic students — and those who participate in certain sports and arts activities, such as choir and band.

Nurses, who have been doing the testing, have reported being overwhelmed and overworked. In a survey sent by the PFT, which was filled out by 4,200 members, 28% of nurses said they lacked COVID testing supplies, 27% said they didn’t have a room in which to isolate symptomatic students, and more than half said they were conducting contract tracing without the assistance of health officials.

One nurse in the survey said: “It is not realistic and/or possible for one person on any given day to do what is being asked.”

The health department now recommends more regular testing of all students “where possible” but said it doesn’t plan to enforce the new guideline.

“This is a recommendation that we know is difficult to implement because of how difficult it is to secure testing supplies right now,” James Garrow, a department spokesperson, said via email. “It’s our hope that as testing supplies and testing capacity are more available, that schools will start to implement this.”

At the board meeting Thursday, the two student representatives on the board said that even the old guidelines for testing students were not being followed.

Student representative Rebecca Allen, a junior at Central High School, said students in fine arts and sports at her school have not been tested. “We have not been tested at all,” she said.

Superintendent William Hite said the district will have to depend on outside resources to help with testing since nurses are overwhelmed. At Thursday’s meeting, the board passed a resolution to partner with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for more testing supplies and “to advise on testing plan and design as necessary.”

Allen and the other student representative on the board, Armando Ortez, said there were other issues in schools around COVID safety as well.

“There are so many congested areas that there’s no way you can work around them pretty much because there’s so many students and so much traffic. Students are not feeling safe, we are like sardines in the hallway,” Allen told Hite.

Ortez, a senior at Northeast High, termed the return to in-person school “bittersweet.”

“Over the last few weeks Rebecca and I have enjoyed seeing our peers, but there’s concern over COVID-19 health and safety measures. Overall many of the concerns that Rebecca and I are hearing from our peers and teachers are around information and ensuring that procedures and protocols set by the district are not only available to our parents and teachers but also for students as well.”

In the PFT survey, 20% of respondents reported problems with mask compliance in their school, 35% said there was a lack of hand sanitizer, and 10% said air purifiers in their rooms were not operational.

The principals union still doesn’t have a contract. But despite everything, Cooper says she hasn’t lost hope.

“I’m optimistic things will get better,” she said.
Johann Calhoun contributed to this report

IPS erases $18 million deficit — but needs to keep cutting

2021-09-23T20:03:54+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools has eliminated an $18 million deficit that it had projected for this school year, Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said. While she doesn’t anticipate closing any schools by next fall, she warned the district must continue to cut costs to avoid falling into the red.

Johnson told reporters Thursday that the district trimmed and reorganized central offices and transportation to wipe out the current deficit — even though transportation cuts fell far short of what the district originally had anticipated.

“Our budget line is headed in the wrong direction,” Johnson said in her Wednesday State of the District speech delivered to a virtual audience. “If we change nothing, we’ll go into the red in 2028.”

She is planning six “dream and scheme” community meetings to hear what people want schools to be doing, and to inform the difficult work of trimming budgets. From Monday through Oct. 4, board members will convene six virtual and in-person meetings. Registration is online on the district website.

After gathering and synthesizing community ideas, the administration will present options and proposals to respond to those “dreams” and to cut budgets.

“Nothing is going to be off the table,” Johnson said. “We can do just about anything. We just can’t do everything.”

The magnitude of the required cuts will significantly affect district programs and people.

For months, officials have been privately discussing school closures. Four years ago, IPS cut down its high schools by half, to four campuses. It hasn’t reduced the number of elementary or middle schools, many of which operate below capacity.

Facing a fiscal crisis, IPS turned to the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce in 2018. The district won chamber backing by agreeing to scale down a tax measure that it was seeking, and to cut spending by $328 million and raise teacher and principal salaries by $230 million over eight years.

Voters passed the referendum, which is expected to generate $220 million for the eight-year duration of the tax.

The formal partnership, with the chamber helping set goals for cost-cutting and backing other initiatives such as outsourcing some busing, has just ended.

The district has fairly steadily cut utilities, custodial services, and transportation, but last school year missed its cutback target by $27 million, after exceeding it the first two years.

Last month, the budget cuts were on track to fall 20% short of the chamber-advised goal.

Although robust property values have bumped up expected tax revenues from the referendum by more than one-third, it’s not enough to offset the shortfall in savings.

In part, that’s because the district made investments that Johnson has called vital.

“We’ve built supports for high-need students, we’ve invested in high-quality curriculum, and we’ve given raises to staff, not just because they deserve it, but because we can’t function if we can’t compete for talent.”

With negotiations launching on a new teacher contract, so far raises are on track to amount to 30% less than outlined in the chamber pact. IPS teachers won a 9% raise in 2019 and a 5% raise last year.

Those raises came after Indiana teachers led nationwide protests two years ago for higher wages. The state had ranked last among states in teacher raises over a 15-year period.

The district, like every other one across the country, has reaped a windfall of federal pandemic relief aid. IPS schools will get $213 million in one-time funds. Johnson said the district is steering those funds toward tutoring and accelerating learning, providing students access to tech devices and the internet, improving building safety against the coronavirus, and providing more nurses.

Still, she said, the district faces unpalatable decisions. Elementary principals must choose among art, music, and physical education — they can’t offer all three. High schools can’t afford all the advanced courses students want. A facilities survey last year rated one-quarter of district buildings poor or unsatisfactory.

The constraints present a challenge that Johnson cast as an opportunity — “a chance not to fiddle around the edges, but to rebuild, to create the school system our children deserve … a plan that embodies excellence, justice, and sustainability.”

Tennessee’s first summer learning camps yield improvements in reading and math, governor says

2021-09-22T23:45:05+00:00

Tennessee public school students who participated in recent summer learning camps showed improvement in reading and especially in math, based on test results released on Wednesday.

Gov. Bill Lee’s administration reported an overall improvement of nearly 6 percentage points in English language arts and more than 10 percentage points in math for students who attended the six-week camps.

About 120,000 students in grades 1-8 — or 20% of those who were eligible — enrolled in the voluntary camps that districts were required to host under a new law aimed at recouping pandemic-related learning loss. The state picked up the $135 million tab, including $18.5 million to provide bus transportation.

“We know it’s been a tough year, but we’re very encouraged by this data that shows that swift action did pay off,” Lee said during a conference call with reporters.

Tennessee has been one of the most aggressive states in the nation in trying to address declines in student proficiency as the pandemic creeps into a third straight academic year. In January, Lee called a special legislative session for lawmakers to focus on K-12 education and approve initiatives to launch summer camps, after-school tutoring, and phonics-based literacy instruction.

State test scores released in August further illustrated the need to bolster student achievement. Those results, from tests given last spring, showed overall student proficiency declined 5 percentage points since 2019, the last time the state administered standardized tests under the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, also known as TCAP. It marked a dramatic reversal of previous gains.

To measure progress during the summer camps, the state used a much simpler measurement — giving students 10-question tests anchored in the state’s academic standards at the start of the camps and then at the end. The camps required six hours of daily instruction in reading and math five days a week.

The state reported that improvement was markedly higher for elementary school students than for middle schoolers.

In math, elementary school students saw an improvement of nearly 12 percentage points — double the performance of middle school participants.

A writing exercise during a summer learning camp at Rutland Elementary School in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, in June 2021

In reading, elementary grades showed an improvement of over 7 percentage points, compared to 1 percentage point for middle school students.

Overall, economically disadvantaged students improved at generally the same rate as their more affluent peers, Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn told state lawmakers later Wednesday during a hearing to discuss the results.

“That’s a really big deal, because typically what we see is our economically disadvantaged students improve at a slightly slower rate,” Schwinn said.

State officials did not release detailed attendance data, but Schwinn reported that 96% of enrolled students attended for one or more days. Attendance was higher in elementary schools than middle schools.

Registration priority was given to students who generally scored below proficient in math or reading on their most recent TCAP tests or another state test used to identify students needing early intervention. The program also prioritized students eligible to benefit from federal funding intended to help poor working families.

Asked for more details about the testing data, a department spokesman said less than half of participating students took both tests. Schwinn called that a representative sampling and also said the 10-question assessment was the right tool to measure improvement over the summer.

“I do not think it’s appropriate to give students a 3-hour test at the beginning and the end of a summer program,” she told reporters, adding that the assessments gave her department “a directional sense on improvement.”

“I feel strongly that we absolutely saw academic benefits,” she said, noting ancillary benefits in student confidence, engagement and — for those returning to in-person instruction after a year of remote learning — preparation to re-enter classrooms.

But House Democratic Caucus Chairman Vincent Dixie said “it’s a little early for a victory lap.”

“I think the sample size of the students who attended summer school is pretty small and I’d wait until we find out more about this school year and the 1 million students who have struggled this year through the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Nashville lawmaker said in a statement.

At Wednesday’s hearing, several district leaders told lawmakers they believed the inaugural camps were successful — and that local flexibility on staffing and scheduling was key.

“There is no one size fits all,” said Danny Weeks, superintendent of Dickson County Schools.

Weeks and Cleveland City Schools Superintendent Russell Dyer asked for continued leeway to make adjustments as the program continues next summer, emphasized the importance of providing transportation to encourage student participation, and asked the state to consider increasing pay for teachers beyond $1,000 a week, which is basically the salary of a beginning teacher.

The state already is getting a return on its investment, they agreed, especially for struggling students that the program targets.

“Having our students come to school during the summer – having those fun learning experiences – absolutely made a difference when they came back in the fall,” Dyer said.

NYC slashed the hours of ‘Situation Room’ handling school COVID cases. Educators say it’s slowing down quarantine decisions.

2021-09-22T18:00:39+00:00

A technology teacher at Brooklyn’s P.S. 194 was fully vaccinated, wore two overlapping masks, and ran air purifiers in her room. Yet, on the second day of school, she received a test result confirming she was positive with the coronavirus.

In just over a week, six other adults at the school also tested positive, two of whom were not vaccinated, according to staff members there. With each positive test, the school turned for guidance to the Situation Room, the city’s nerve center that collects reports of positive coronavirus cases and issues decisions about classroom closures and quarantines.

Twice, P.S. 194 officials learned about positive cases after the Situation Room had closed for the day at 3:30 p.m, sources at the school said. Last school year, it was open well into the evening.

There was no ambiguity that everyone who shared a classroom with the positive staff members should stay home according to the city’s rules. And while the people who tested positive stayed home, the school itself couldn’t order quarantines of the students and staff who were close contacts. They wound up returning to the building for another full day before the Situation Room was able to process the case, according to school staffers.

“It’s ridiculous,” said one school staffer of the delays in quarantining, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear or reprisal. “Why should [we] bring all these kids in to be continuously exposed?”

The Situation Room, an inter-agency collaboration between the education, health department, and the city’s corps of contact tracers, is supposed to be a rapid response team. But just over a week into the school year, some school leaders and union officials said there have been problems reaching the office by phone to report cases or they have faced delays getting official orders to quarantine classrooms, forcing principals to scramble.

“They’re overwhelmed,” said Mark Cannizzaro, head of the union that represents school administrators. “Unless things change dramatically, they’re going to have to increase staff and increase hours.”

Despite this year’s influx of students and staff, the city has reduced the Situation Room’s hours significantly. The Situation Room this year is open from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays, (with limited Sunday hours). For much of last year, it closed four hours later, at 7:30 p.m. Education officials defended the move, saying fewer hours were needed when they were scaled back over summer and that late notice of quarantines was challenging for principals and parents.

Still, early hiccups in handling reports of COVID cases come at a crucial moment in the city’s efforts to reopen the nation’s largest school system. The city is requiring nearly all of its roughly 1 million students to return to classrooms, a significant change from last year when the vast majority were fully remote.

Defending shorter hours

The Situation Room has been busy during the first six days of school: 985 students and 502 staff have tested positive, leading to 1,151 full and partial classroom closures out of 65,000 total classrooms.

Recently announced changes to health and safety rules could potentially add to the Situation Room’s load.

Starting next week, COVID testing among a sample of 10% of unvaccinated students will ramp up to weekly, from bi-weekly, potentially leading to the identification of more coronavirus cases.

And though quarantine rules will be relaxed for unvaccinated students, likely making full classroom closures less common, the Situation Room will be involved in figuring out which students count as close contacts, which could be a more complex task under the new rules. (The changes will not affect the need for full classroom closures when elementary school staff members test positive.)

Another imminent change is that all staff are required to receive at least one vaccine dose by Monday or else go on unpaid leave. But even as the highly contagious delta variant remains dominant, thousands of educators have not yet been vaccinated, and most students are not yet eligible.

Education department officials have defended the Situation Room’s shorter hours, noting they were changed over the summer when case counts were lower and fewer students were in school buildings.

They also said they are trying to balance the need for the Situation Room to accept reports of new infections with the reality that if they take reports of new cases in the evening, notifications about quarantines may not be issued until late at night. It can take a few hours for the Situation Room to confirm a positive case, complete an initial contact tracing process, and begin telling the correct students and staff members that they need to quarantine.

Chris Caruso, a former education department official who helped supervise the Situation Room last school year, said that when the Situation Room was open later, decisions about quarantines sometimes weren’t issued until 11 p.m., a strain on principals and families.

“How do you close a classroom at 1 in the morning, how do you get in touch with second grade parents?” Caruso said. “These are people’s lives; they have to line up child care.”

Calls for more principal discretion

Still, with results often coming back after 3:30 p.m., some school staff at P.S. 194 believe the city should be able to act more swiftly to keep close contacts at home — especially when the need to quarantine is not in doubt.

“They should have two shifts, like a 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then a 3 p.m. to midnight,” one staffer said. Otherwise, “The principal should be able to use their discretion shutting down classes.”

Cannizzaro, the administrators union head, also thinks principals should have more power regarding possible closures. “When things get late, and a decision needs to be made, there just needs to be a little bit more flexibility and people given the authority to make a decision,” he said.

Nathaniel Styer, an education department spokesperson, said the “vast majority” of coronavirus cases reported to the Situation Room are resolved on the same day. Only a small number take up to 24 hours, he said.

He added that the number of calls after hours were low and that schools can report cases after the Situation Room is closed, though they will be processed the next morning.

He confirmed one case at P.S. 194 was not resolved in the same day. Staffers at the school said the community was unaware cases could be reported after the Situation Room had closed.

“The Situation Room plays a vital role in keeping schools safe and supporting principals when a positive case is identified in a school, at any time of day,” Styer said in a statement. “We’ll continue to monitor cases and adjust both hours and procedures to meet the needs of our schools.”

But some school leaders said they were struggling to reach the Situation Room, even during its regular hours.

In one instance, a Manhattan elementary school principal was alerted that one of her students tested positive on a Saturday, the one day of the week the Situation Room is closed.

The principal, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal, called in the case the following day, since the Situation Room is open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. She finally got through after several tries, she said. But the hours ticked by, and she never received a call back about whether she needed to quarantine any classrooms. When she called again at 4 p.m., she was sent to a voicemail that said it was closed for the day.

Eventually, the principal was able to alert her superintendent, who contacted an official at the Situation Room who helped initiate letters to families of students who needed to quarantine.

“It feels like they’re limiting hours to make it seem like they’re not asking principals to work around the clock,” said the principal. “By shortening the hours they’re actually making it worse.”

‘Missed opportunity to reduce transmission’

Three public health experts said that delays in quarantining students and staff who were considered close contacts could potentially increase the risk of transmission in schools, especially because there is often a lag between the onset of symptoms, getting tested, and receiving a positive result.

In the intervening time, it is possible that others in the school have been infected and could spread the disease to others if they’re allowed to return to the building instead of sent home to quarantine.

“That’s a really large missed opportunity to reduce transmission,” said Anna Bershteyn, an assistant professor of population health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, referring to a daylong delay in quarantining classrooms. “This is a pretty fast disease.”

Still, the public health experts largely agreed that if other mitigation measures were still in place, such as universal masking, proper ventilation, and social distancing the risks of transmission would likely be low.

“If we were to go on the experience of last year, schools did pretty well with masks and distancing,” said Danis Nash, a professor of epidemiology at the City University of New York.

At the same time, there is uncertainty about how the more contagious delta variant and availability of vaccines will alter the risks to New York City’s schools, especially as classrooms are largely back to full capacity this year. Experts said that makes prompt quarantines even more essential.

“We don’t yet know,” Nash said, ”and until we get a handle on what the outbreak potential is in schools in these conditions we have to be fast.”

Philly health officials relax rules around school building closures and quarantines, recommend increased testing

2021-09-22T15:27:20+00:00

Updated 6:35 p.m.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is relaxing its guidelines around student quarantines and building closures, increasing the number of cases of COVID-19 needed to trigger a pause to in-person learning.

At the same time, officials are asking the district to vastly expand the amount of COVID testing in school buildings by screening all unvaccinated students once a week. Now, the district tests only symptomatic students.

The new guidelines say that a class or cohort of 35 or fewer students should be quarantined if there are three or more cases, or four cases in a cohort of 100.

Under the new guidance, whole schools are only closed if 3% of the school population tested positive for the virus. That’s less strict than the previous guidance, which closed buildings when there were six cases regardless of the size of the student population.

Close contacts, which are defined as “someone who has been within six feet of someone with COVID-19 for 15+ minutes over 24 hours,” should be quarantined regardless of the number of cases in a class or cohort.

The new guidance contains the caveat that schools should test all unvaccinated students once a week “where possible.”

“Regarding testing, the recommendation does say ‘when possible’ and we will continue to work with PDPH and [Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia] to see how we can implement the safety measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” district spokeswoman Monica Lewis said in an email.

In a statement, the district did not speak directly to the changes in conditions under which a school must quarantine classes or temporarily close.

The less conservative guidance comes about four weeks into a school year that has seen COVID cases among students leading to the temporary closures of several school buildings.

Health department officials say that in most cases, administrators should reach out to the health department for further guidance.

The guidance was relaxed because “we’ve seen other safety measures have been successful in containing the spread” of the virus, said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole. “We believe it’s possible to prevent wider spread of COVID in schools and keep kids in school,” as long as other safety measures are strictly followed, including universal masking, contact tracing, and vaccination.

It is also now recommending weekly “screening testing” of all unvaccinated students in areas where COVID-19 transmission is moderate, substantial, or high, a category that includes Philadelphia. Now, the school district is only testing symptomatic students.

The new guidelines on testing are meant to push the district to test more students than they are now — which has been a demand of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

“This is a difference,” said Bettigole.

PFT president Jerry Jordan issued a statement saying that he was “extremely encouraged that the PDPH is heeding our calls for asymptomatic student testing. From the start, we have been very clear that this is an absolutely essential mitigation measure.”

He urged the district to use $47 million in federal COVID relief funds to hire a vendor to do the testing. Now, school nurses are tasked with student testing, and in a recent PFT survey they said that they are overburdened. There is also a shortage of school nurses, with 17 vacancies still listed on the district’s jobs board and other nurses out due to sick leave.

Jordan said that he did not want to comment on the new closure guidelines “until I better understand the District’s intent on implementing asymptomatic testing.”

The PFT survey also showed that nurses and teachers reported that some of the district’s other COVID safety protocols are not being strictly enforced.

“In the absence of tightening up of mitigation measures like mask enforcement, and in the absence of an implementation plan for asymptomatic testing, it would be irresponsible to loosen the closure guidelines,” Jordan said.

All students under age 12 are unvaccinated, and Bettigole said that the district can determine which students between 12 and 18 — and therefore eligible to be vaccinated — have received the vaccine. In Philadelphia, 46,660 individuals in the 12-17 age group have received the vaccine.

In a COVID-19 update during his Facebook Live appearance Wednesday afternoon, Superintendent William Hite said that the district is asking parents of children 12 or older who have received the vaccine to send proof to the district. He said t is not a requirement, but will allow the district “to better understand vaccination rates in our schools and better determine which students must quarantine.”

The guidance also offers schools the option of using “test to stay,” meaning close contacts can avoid the need to quarantine if the school is able to offer rapid testing, and the individual in close contact tests negative every other day for a week.

The district’s statement did not speak directly to whether it has the capacity to do more student testing, or whether it plans to hire an outside contractor, as the PFT is calling for. And Lewis said it was “not my understanding” that the district knows who is vaccinated and who is not among students who are eligible.

“Since the very start of the pandemic, the School District of Philadelphia has worked closely with public health experts from PDPH and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to implement extensive health and safety measures in every school to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” the district statement said.“Additionally, as science has shown, COVID-19 vaccinations work to mitigate the spread of the virus. That’s why we continue to encourage anyone who is eligible to be vaccinated to do so.”

Despite COVID, most Tennessee parents are upbeat about school this year, poll says

2021-09-21T22:57:21+00:00

A month into the new academic year, three-fourths of Tennessee parents said school was going well for their child and 69% said their student felt safe attending classes in person, even as many districts closed temporarily under the strain of COVID’s highly contagious delta variant.

Poll results released Tuesday also show that nearly half of the state’s parents worry their students have fallen behind academically during the pandemic, with those concerns even more widespread among suburban parents and parents of high schoolers.

The poll — commissioned by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, also known as SCORE — offered some surprises on parents’ perceptions of the beginning of the third straight school year affected by the pandemic. The survey was conducted Sept. 1-5 with a representative sampling of 500 registered voters and 300 public school parents across the state, where most students started back to school in early August.

About 77% of parents surveyed were positive about how the 2021-22 school year was going for their child.

At the time, at least 18 of Tennessee’s 147 school systems had shut down for up to a week to try to tame the virus as sickness or quarantine sidelined too many teachers to adequately staff classrooms. And a third of all Tennessee COVID cases were among children up to age 18. In addition, Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn had just begun granting seven-day waivers to let some schools shift temporarily to virtual learning under a new COVID response plan.

Since then, Tennessee has reported more new coronavirus cases than any other state, relative to its population — an average of 109 for every 100,000 people, according to a New York Times database.

Data released Monday by the state health department shows the number of deaths for people under age 20 has doubled to 20 since the school year began.

And at least 14 public school employees who contracted COVID have died this academic year, based on a report about confirmed deaths by Tennessee Lookout, an online news organization. The report notes that it is unknown whether any employee was exposed to COVID at school or outside of school.

SCORE officials believe parents feel good about more in-person learning happening than last school year, when districts had blanket authority to shift to virtual learning to respond to local virus surges. A new state rule requires schools to provide in-person instruction and tap into stockpiled days if they have to close. Even with Tennessee’s COVID numbers, Gov. Bill Lee’s administration hasn’t backed off of that position.

“The positive feelings parents expressed about the start of this school year are a testament to the hard but essential work the state’s teachers and school and district leaders have done to support in-person instruction in very difficult circumstances,” SCORE President and CEO David Mansouri said in a statement.

Teresa Wasson, a spokesperson for SCORE, added that polling from the last two years shows two-thirds of Tennessee parents think remote learning is worse for their students than in-person learning.

Beth Brown, president of the Tennessee Education Association, agreed that in-person learning is best and said it’s great parents are feeling positive about the school year. But she also cited a disconnect between what the survey shows and what she’s hearing from educators on the ground who continue to respond to disruptions.

“People need to understand that the pandemic is taking a toll on educators in a state where there’s already a teacher shortage,” Brown told Chalkbeat. “Teachers are exhausted, burned out, and struggling mentally and emotionally.”

This year’s poll had similar results to last year over parent concerns about pandemic-related learning lags. But this is the first pandemic year that Tennessee has had the benefit of statewide test scores, which were released a month before the latest poll was conducted. In 2020, testing was canceled nationwide due to the virus.

Tennessee’s scores showed an overall decrease in proficiency of 5 percentage points since 2019 under the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, also known as TCAP. The scores declined across all subjects and grades, with the sharpest drops among students who have trailed their peers historically and learned remotely the longest.

SCORE’s poll delved into non-pandemic education issues too.

Most people surveyed, including 71% of parents and 65% of voters, believe that Tennessee public schools don’t receive enough funding. And even greater percentages of those surveyed said they would support the state increasing funding for K-12 education.

The poll also showed strong statewide support for continuing annual state testing, which has been used in Tennessee since 1988, to know if students are meeting education standards in reading, writing and math.

Based in Nashville, SCORE is a research and advocacy group founded in 2009 by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee.

The group’s poll was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and had a margin of error of just over 4% for the registered voter sample and over 5% for the public school parents.

COVID in schools and the pediatric vaccine timeline: 8 questions for Dr. Ngozi Ezike

2021-09-21T11:00:00+00:00

Since Illinois schools closed abruptly in March 2020, Dr. Ngozi Ezike has been a regular presence at each of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s press conferences, assessing the threat of the coronavirus and explaining to Illinoisans what to do to protect themselves from the virus.

Now that Illinois students are returning to classrooms and schools are settling into a post-pandemic routine, the state’s top health official has tried to reassure parents and teachers who continue to raise concerns about whether campuses can reopen safely as coronavirus cases surge.

The current school year is presenting new challenges for Ezike to solve. The highly contagious delta variant has been responsible for a spike in coronavirus cases across the state, Ezike said.

All school employees should have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Sunday. Illinois school districts are boosting their efforts to test students while navigating outbreaks and quarantining students.

Chalkbeat asked Ezike what the state has learned so far about school reopening, student vaccination rates, and school outbreaks.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of Illinois Department of Public Health.

Pfizer-BioNTech announced Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and shows a robust antibody response for children between 5-11. How is IDPH thinking about an Illinois rollout and how soon could that happen?

We absolutely are thinking about the rollout pending the final emergency use authorization. We’re currently working with pediatricians and pediatric groups, family physicians, the different providers who would be providing care to this population to come up with a plan. We want all people on board to help get these people vaccinated as well as schools and the local health department.

Pfizer is saying that they think it’s safe for (children ages) 5 to 11, but there’s still quite a few steps before it would be officially authorized. So far we’ve heard predictions about it happening before the end of the year, we’ve heard November.

IDPH has been tracking school outbreaks and potential exposures. Have there been any trends with schools and districts who have seen outbreaks?

We have reported over 200 school outbreaks. That might not even capture all of them, as we know that ongoing outbreaks right now are being managed by the local health departments. They might not get to reporting the information in the outbreak system until a little bit later. However, the number of cases that we are seeing in youth are very high. We haven’t seen numbers this high since the peak periods of the pandemic like November of last year or January of this year.

Would IDPH be able to tell if cases in school are due to violations of the state’s mask mandate, outbreaks connected to sport games, busing students, or proximity to college campuses?

Anecdotally, we’ve heard from the local health department that there have been issues with mask compliance where we’ve seen significant outbreaks. We’ve definitely seen cases and outbreaks related to sports, but we actually are seeing fewer sports-related outbreaks currently than we saw last fall.

A lot of college campuses have higher rates of vaccinations than our school campuses because everyone in a college campus is eligible for vaccination. We don’t think there would be a direct correlation between what’s happening on a college campus and the school, except for the fact that if they’re in the same community. We know that if there are much higher levels of infection in a community, that tends to have the ability to spill over into a smaller community within that community especially if there are lots of unvaccinated people in there.

Are you seeing more cases in elementary schools compared to high schools, given who is eligible for vaccines?

Yes, we are seeing more and more cases in the younger groups when we look at outbreaks. I think 20% of the reported outbreaks are in high school, which means that 80% are in elementary and middle school. We have seen a growing number of cases in the lower pediatric population.

If cases continue to rise due to the highly contagious delta variant, do you think that schools will have to revert back to remote learning during this year? Especially for younger students who aren’t eligible for vaccines.

Even in this difficult, divided time, I think one thing that everybody agrees upon is that we want kids in school for in-person learning. To help promote as much in person learning as possible, that requires vaccination, masking, and testing.

Do you think school districts should mandate student testing?

We absolutely know that there’s a trio of efforts that are needed, with testing being very critical. We have made testing available to all of our public schools. Since last year, we have been calling and knocking on doors to get this testing program on board. The schools that took us up on that, they’re in great shape now. Now, we see a lot more schools trying to take advantage.

What is the public health department doing to ramp up school-based testing?

We are offering free testing to all schools outside of Chicago and we are funding the cost of that. In addition to testing, we have continued to reach out to school districts to help create vaccination clinics. We’re pushing on all the levers, whether it’s testing or helping people get vaccinated.

Vaccination rates among students 12-17 started strong but have appeared to flatten. What is the state doing to promote vaccination among teens? Can it do more? What role do schools play here?

We know that 50% of the 12-17-year-olds in Illinois are fully vaccinated. That number goes up to almost 87% if you see people who have at least gotten their first dose. We know that about 10,000 people get vaccinated in the state every day with their first dose and about 12% of those people are 12 to 17. So, 1,100-1,200 kids are getting vaccinated everyday.

We’re continuing to work with our schools and pediatricians to make sure that they are pushing it as kids are still going into the doctor’s office for their physicals for their sports exam or their flu shots.

NYC teachers union calls for weekly covid testing for some students as first school closes with at least 16 positive staff cases

2021-09-19T20:39:35+00:00

New York City’s teachers union called on Mayor Bill de Blasio to ramp up the frequency of random coronavirus testing in schools for students under 12, just one day after the city’s first school closure of the year due to widespread virus transmission among staff.

The city should test 10% of students under age 12 every week rather than every other week, United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said in a letter to the mayor. Students under 12 years old are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.

Mulgrew said the union is not calling for more testing of students ages 12 and above because they are eligible for vaccination and the union is satisfied with vaccination rates among those students so far. (Nearly 70% of New Yorkers ages 12-17 have received a vaccine dose, de Blasio said Friday, though it’s likely some schools fall substantially below those rates.)

“The [United Federation of Teachers] made it clear over the summer that biweekly testing was insufficient given the delta variant and the strong possibility that many schools would struggle to meet the three-foot social distancing guidelines,” Mulgrew wrote. “The first week of school, including photos of students packed into crowded hallways and cafeterias, only strengthens the argument for more testing.”

The union’s call for more frequent testing comes at a critical moment for the mayor, who is trying to make the case that the nation’s largest school district can safely reopen for all of its nearly 1 million students after a school year dominated by virtual instruction. The current testing policy has attracted criticism for being less extensive than the protocol at the end of last school year, which required weekly testing of 20% of all students and staff.

Mulgrew’s demand for more testing also comes just after the city issued its first full-school shutdown over the weekend of P.S. 79, a District 75 school in Manhattan that serves students with more serious disabilities. All of the positive cases were among staff members, city officials said Friday, with 16 confirmed cases as of Sept. 16.

The cases were linked to staff orientation events, education department officials said, though they did not indicate whether the infected staff members were unvaccinated. Unlike last year, when as few as two virus cases could shut down a campus, schools will only shutter this year in the event of widespread transmission. There is no specific number of virus cases that triggers a school-wide closure this year.

But the union’s letter makes no mention of unvaccinated teachers, a notable omission given that a significant minority of educators represented by the union have yet to be vaccinated and the city’s first full-school shutdown appears to be the result of positive cases among staff, rather than students.

The city did not require unvaccinated staff or students to be tested before they returned to school buildings, though all unvaccinated staff are required to show proof of a negative coronavirus once a week, a more frequent testing regimen than unvaccinated students.

The union is part of a lawsuit challenging the city’s plan to require all school staff to receive at least one vaccine dose by Sept. 27 or else be put on unpaid leave. In an interview, Mulgrew said the union believes the health department has the legal authority to issue a vaccine mandate, but the city should have created an exemption process for staff with medical issues or religious objections.

Earlier this month, an arbitrator ruled that the city must offer non-classroom assignments to teachers who have valid medical or religious reasons to avoid the shots. But Mulgrew said the teachers union is still part of the lawsuit, which includes several other unions, and which could result in a judge blocking the vaccine mandate. (A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 22.)

“You have to have the exemption and accommodation process, but the City of New York tried to do it without it. We look at it as a power grab,” Mulgrew said. “If we don’t challenge what they’ve done now, they can say, five years from now there’s another [mandate], and they can say, ‘well we don’t have to do exemptions.’”

Since Sept. 13, when the city’s traditional district schools reopened to students, 325 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 (that figure also includes staff members at charter schools that are housed in city buildings); 487 students have also tested positive.

Since district schools reopened, 367 classrooms have been shut down. In addition, there have been 266 partial classroom closures, in which unvaccinated people must quarantine but those who are vaccinated and not showing symptoms are allowed to continue learning in person. There are roughly 65,000 classrooms in city buildings, officials said.

The mayor has repeatedly said that the city’s schools can reopen safely at full capacity, and de Blasio has insisted that everyone return to school in person with some narrow exceptions for medically vulnerable students. Officials are requiring universal masking, three feet of distancing where possible, and promised two air purifiers in every room.

Critics contend that the safety rules don’t go far enough, especially with the more transmissible delta variant circulating, and that families should have a virtual option. De Blasio has countered that remote learning is a poor substitute for in-person instruction and that schools can operate safely.

“Last week we successfully and safely opened our schools to all New York City students for the first time in 18 months,” education department spokesperson Danille Filson said in a statement. “We will continue to base our health and safety protocols off the guidance of our medical experts and in the best interest of our school communities.”

Frustrated by school district, Philly Council to hold hearings on how to fix ‘substandard’ buildings

2021-09-18T02:50:15+00:00

This story originally appeared on WHYY
Philadelphia City Council will hold joint hearings on how the city can fund a remediation and modernization plan to address troubling facilities issues at hundreds of public schools around the city, including issues with asbestos, lead paint, and mold.

The hearings, approved by Council on Friday, will be held sometime in the fall and will focus on how the city government can help to solve a multibillion-dollar problem they say the School District of Philadelphia hasn’t been able to adequately handle.

“There is no question the School District of Philadelphia has put forth hundreds of millions of dollars, has invested in and expanded their facilities in the last several years. But what we know is that this work at the margins is simply not good enough,” said Councilmember Helen Gym, who authored the resolution.

Councilmember Derek Green, one of 10 co-sponsors, was more blunt during Friday’s session of Council, its first since the legislative body broke for summer recess in late June.

“We’ve tried to put our trust in the school district, but time and time and time again that trust has not been there,” said Green, whose son attends a Philadelphia public school.
Also signing the resolution were Councilmembers Cindy Bass, Kendra Brooks, Allan Domb, Jamie Gauthier, Katherine Gilmore-Richardson, Bobby Henon, Kenyatta Johnson, Mark Squilla and Isaiah Thomas.

District spokesperson Christina Clark said Friday that the district “supports any action focused on gaining much-needed facilities funding in support of creating the healthy, welcoming, and 21st-century learning environments our students and staff deserve.”

Across the city, the condition of public school buildings has driven outcry among parents, teachers, education advocates, and elected officials.

The day before students returned to classrooms for the first time since the start of the pandemic, teachers and parents at Julia R. Masterman said the district was stonewalling their efforts to double-check asbestos remediation projects inside the building. The same week, educators, students, and parents held an emergency rally outside of The Science Leadership Academy at Beeber to decry the “deplorable” conditions inside the West Philly building, the site of an ongoing construction project.

Jerry Roseman, an environmental expert hired as a consultant by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said Friday he supports the effort to develop a comprehensive plan to address both capital improvement and facility maintenance needs. But he said those two tracks need to move concurrently so that both of them are a priority.

“So while you’re waiting your turn [for capital improvements], your school is not left in a substandard condition,” said Roseman.

Any new plan would likely take decades to fully implement. Other cities that have modernized schools have relied on new taxing mechanisms championed by mayors and other local leaders.

Shutdowns, testing, quarantines have become a maze for Philadelphia parents to navigate

2021-09-16T23:48:37+00:00

With five Philadelphia public schools and part of a high school shut down due to the pandemic barely two weeks into the school year, parents are struggling to understand the policies for closures and quarantines and growing increasingly concerned over whether the COVID mitigation protocols are enough to keep their children safe.

Some parents said they are not getting accurate information. For example, specifics about who tested positive for COVID-19 are not shared due to privacy concerns.

And parents expressed frustration that the district’s online dashboard that tracks the numbers of tests and positive cases runs at least a week behind.

Stefanie Marrero, who has four children attending district schools, considered putting them in the new virtual academy but decided against it when she learned they would lose their spots in the neighborhood school and would not be getting real-time lessons from teachers.

“That made me decide, they need to be in person and I’ll just deal with it,” she said.

Medical privacy rules prevent the school or district from sharing who tested positive. Now, letters to parents only notify the parent of a positive test.

“We need a transparent system for us to get information from the schools ensuring that our children are not being taught by people that are testing positive for COVID-19,” she said.

Now, the guidance calls for a school to close if there are six cases within a two-week period. A single classroom or grade might be quarantined if there are three cases — a “cluster” as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

James Garrow, spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, said that the policy is continually under review. Quarantine and closure decisions are made by the city’s health department, not the district or an individual charter.

“We are absolutely monitoring the situation and expect to change the guidance as we learn more,” Garrow said. Factors to consider include parental feedback and learning more about how COVID spreads in schools, he said.

Three of the district schools that have closed are elementary schools in which most of the students are ineligible for vaccination.

Emlen is a 300-student pre-K-5 school in Mount Airy, and Richmond is a 450-student K-5 school in Port Richmond. Charter schools that closed, Lindley Academy and Pan American Academy, are both 750-student K-8 schools.

On Thursday the city’s health department also shut down Southwark School, which has 900 students in grades K-8, and the Ninth Grade Academy at Roxborough High School. Only freshmen at Roxborough will switch to virtual learning for 10 days. Students in 10th, 11th and 12th grades will continue attending in person, according to an announcement on the school’s website.

Garrow said that even if three students who test positive in the same grade are in different classrooms, that is still considered a cluster.

The assumption is that students in the same grade “eat lunch together, have recess together, come together at some point in the day,” he said.

Citing privacy, the district does not release any details on who is infected, only saying it is a student or a staff member, in letters sent home to parents. But anyone who has come into close contact, within three feet for more than 15 minutes, with a person who tested positive is notified. Only symptomatic students are tested regularly, except for some athletes and students who participate in activities like band and choir.

That means that parents may not be notified if someone in their child’s classroom is infected if that student’s desk is located across the room or, if it’s a teacher or teacher’s aide and the child sits far from the front of the classroom. The students who are informed are “those sitting directly around them,” Garrow said.

However, in early grades, determining who is a close contact is not so simple because many classrooms have been rearranged so children can work together at tables, and teachers and aides move around to work with small groups, sometimes for extended periods. In light of how easily the delta variant spreads, district officials are discussing whether to limit some practices that put students in small groups, according to one person with knowledge of the situation who did not want to be named.

Philadelphia schools range from a few hundred students to a few thousand. Some buildings are crowded, making it harder to social distance, while others were built for much larger student enrollments than they currently house, making it easier to spread out students. All these issues are taken into consideration, Garrow said.

Online, some parents have asked why the guidance is six cases rather than a percentage of enrollment, given the wide disparity in school size. “We’re constantly reviewing these things,” Garrow said.

Central High School, for example, has 2,400 students and Northeast has 3,400. Closing the entire school for six cases might seem excessive. Other factors that could come into play under a new guidance might include the rate of spread in the surrounding community.

The school district has decided to test only symptomatic students, putting it at odds with the teachers union, which wants all students tested regularly in “screening testing.” Garrow said one reason is a strain on testing materials.

“If we test everybody, we could crash the whole system, and folks who are experiencing symptoms may not be able to get tested,” he said. CDC guidance says “screening testing” can be one mitigation strategy along with others including masking, good ventilation, and social distancing.

Another policy that some districts use is “test to stay,” which means that those who have been exposed to someone who tests positive are tested daily rather than forced to quarantine. Philadelphia has paused that strategy now, said Garrow.

“The disease spreads so easily, and there is still so much [spread] in the community, we’re worried that a person could test negative for two days, and then test positive, and spread it during that time,” he said.

One policy not being considered, Garrow said, is a permanent return to all-virtual or hybrid learning. Last year, even though the school district stayed all-virtual until March, that was not the recommendation of former health commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. Many private and Catholic schools offered in-person learning for much of the year.

“At the time, Dr. Farley felt that in-person learning could be conducted safely if safety measures were properly followed,” Garrow said. “This year, with the addition of staff and older student vaccinations to the existing safety protocols, there are no discussions on making that type of recommendation at this time.”

Parents have been left trying to figure out what to do next. Getting notifications from the district, student testing, and quarantining top the list of concerns from families who have spoken to Chalkbeat.

Danielle Brown-Waters, who has two children at Saul and Roxborough high schools, told Chalkbeat that she signed a document to have her children tested. “But I don’t know if the testing is done randomly or done when they come in or weekly, I don’t know.”

Aileen Callaghan, parent of a second grader at Richmond Elementary School, which was temporarily shut down Wednesday and set to reopen Sept. 25, said, “We are not getting any information about what classroom is getting infected or what grade is at risk of infection.” She believes every child should be tested.

Richmond parents are organizing an event from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Cohocksink Recreation Center, 2901 Cedar St., to discuss plans for a safe return to school, scheduled for Sept. 25.

It would help if communication was more clear, Callaghan said.

“One thing specifically that I would really appreciate is a quick message from the school saying, ‘We at this point have notified all people of which children have been at risk for exposure to COVID-19 due to the most recent outbreak. If you have not received a notification at this time, your child is not at risk,’” she said. “That would do so much to take a whole level of stress off me.”

Security guard shortage drives Detroit schools to raise pay and prompts safety concerns

2021-09-16T22:08:25+00:00

The Detroit school district is boosting the pay of security guards to address a severe shortage that has left some buildings with fewer guards and raised concerns about school safety.

“We will continue to hire, and we will continue to negotiate higher wages, at least for the employees who work for us,” said Superintendent Nikolai Vitti in a recent school board meeting.

The security guard issue is top of mind in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, where school safety is usually one of the top considerations of parents when choosing schools.

The shortage has been exacerbated in part by the pandemic, when the district needed fewer security guards because fewer students were in buildings. But now, as most students and teachers return to in-person learning, the Detroit school district faces many of the same difficulties the private sector faces trying to find hourly employees.

To address the shortage, the district is working to hire 40 security guards, and has been moving guards from schools with fewer safety issues to schools with more. Prior to the pandemic, most high schools employed two to three security guards.

The district did not respond to Chalkbeat’s request for the current number of security guards in schools.

Multiple educators, both during a school board meeting Tuesday and on social media, expressed concern about the dwindling number of security personnel at some schools as well as the stress of handling fights themselves.

N’shan Robinson, lead counselor at Mumford High School, told the board that she intervened in a fight that took place outside the school. She added that a lack of substitute teachers and security have placed a heavy burden on educators.

“I am a school counselor. I should not have to put my life on the line to help a staff member who’s probably getting beat up,” Robinson said.

Charlotte Smith, an English teacher at Cody High School, said she and other teachers would feel safer if there were full-time security guards to ensure outside strangers cannot roam the halls.

“We’re not asking them to run and break up fights, not arresting kids, we’re not looking for that. We’re just looking for someone at the front door to check people in and make sure that we are safe.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, Vitti explained that every high school would be assigned a security guard, a campus police officer, or both.

Security guards differ from campus police officers, who are trained to work in schools with students. Security guards are tasked with monitoring the front desk at high schools as well as clearing hallways and maintaining order.

“We will commit to having more security guards in schools with a large number of students,” Vitti said.

Among the factors that will determine the number of security guards in a school includes the number of students, the number of reported incidents, and the building’s layout.

Smaller elementary schools have opted to hire neighborhood parents as “greeters” to meet students at the front door and direct parents or guardians to the main office.

Board members expressed their concern over the shortage, particularly the district’s salary for security guards.

Prior to the pandemic, the hourly wage for security guards was $12.61 per hour, Vitti said. The district raised it to $15 per hour this fall.

“I know in fast food you can make more than $15 an hour. So it is going to be extremely difficult to fill those positions,” board president Angelique Peterson-Mayberry.

“We want to make sure that parents feel that their children are safe when they drop them off at schools.”

What does school quarantine in Illinois look like? Tell us your experience.

2021-09-16T20:26:35+00:00

With most Illinois students back in classrooms this fall but children age 11 and under still waiting for vaccines, schools across the state are grappling with yet another new COVID-19 reality: quarantined classrooms.

In Chicago Public Schools, nearly 5,500 students and staff have been identified as close contacts of a confirmed COVID case since the start of school, which would make them candidates for quarantine, according to data made public by the school district on Wednesday.

The state does not publicly post the number of students in quarantine, but in the past 30 days, it has logged school exposures at 1,478 campuses across the state and outbreaks of two or more campus-related cases at 128 schools.

State guidelines say that districts can quarantine certain students, classrooms, or even entire schools in consultation with health officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines encourage schools to quarantine only COVID-19 positive students and staff, unvaccinated individuals, and those with symptoms.

We want to know what quarantine looks like for educators and students across the state. Please contribute to our reporting by answering the questions below. Having trouble viewing the form on mobile? Go here.

Another Philadelphia school temporarily shut due to COVID cases

2021-09-16T00:39:31+00:00

The Philadelphia school district sent a letter Wednesday to parents of students at Richmond Elementary School in Port Richmond informing them that it is temporarily shutting the school down due to COVID cases.

In the two weeks since schools opened, Richmond is the second district school and the fourth school in the city to shut down over an outbreak. Emlen Elementary and Pan American Charter School in Fairhill closed Monday. Lindley Academy, a charter school in Logan, closed last week.

“Due to multiple positive cases of COVID-19 in our school, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health has determined that our school building will temporarily close from Sept. 15, 2021 to Sept. 25, 2021 to help stem the spread of the virus. Students and staff may not return to our school building during this time,” the letter said.

Richmond parent Aileen Callaghan told Chalkbeat Wednesday that her son doesn’t have COVID, but she wants to see a change in COVID safety protocols, including more frequent COVID testing in schools. The district is testing only symptomatic students this year, a change from last year’s testing plan.

“It’s really hard that there were only six in-person days of instruction and we had six COVID cases,” she said. “We need to demand for every child to get tested in the schools and prepare for teachers to get tested on both Wednesdays and Fridays, the lives of our children and elders are at risk right now.”

The district opened its schools to some 120,000 students on Aug. 31 after more than a year of disrupted schooling during the pandemic. District officials have said it’s important for students to return for in-person learning, though Philadelphia is one of the few large urban districts to have a virtual option available to families.

The district is advising that if a child has shared a classroom with any student or staff member who has tested positive for COVID-19 they will be contacted directly by the city’s health department or the school district with next steps, including whether the child needs to be quarantined.

“If your child did not share a classroom with a student or staff member who tested positive for COVID-19 that means your child does not need to quarantine while at home,” the district advised in its letter Wednesday.

The schools guidance from the city health department requires schools to be closed if there are six or more cases within 14 days or “multiple COVID-19 clusters across grades.” A grade is required to quarantine if there are three or more cases in one grade, not concentrated in one classroom.

The city health department is currently not recommending that all students get tested regularly, except athletes and those participating in arts activities, such as band or singing. The district already is doing that.

Richmond parents are organizing an event from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Cohocksink Recreation Center, 2901 Cedar St., to discuss plans for a safe return to school.

Dana Carter, policy advisor for the Racial Justice Organizing Committee, said the district needs to improve its parent and school notification protocols.

“Parents can better prepare for school closures if given the notification of COVID-19 positive cases in schools in a timely manner,” she said.

Use the National Guard to get Philly kids to school? Hite is considering it.

2021-09-15T18:40:07+00:00

Philadelphia School Superintendent William Hite said Wednesday that he has called Gov. Tom Wolf’s office to see if the state’s National Guard could help transport children to school.

The bus driver shortage remains so acute that he felt it was necessary to take that step, he said.

“I made a call to the governor’s office yesterday to start the process of what it would take to consider something like that,” Hite said at a morning press briefing. “They’re amenable to helping us solve the problem.”

The governor’s office said in a statement that “we are working with the schools to evaluate the situation,” noting that the problem does not only affect Philadelphia.

“The administration is aware of the challenges the School District of Philadelphia and some other schools are facing with hiring school bus drivers,” said Lyndsay Kensinger, the governor’s press secretary, in an email. “States across the country are experiencing similar situations.”

Since the start of the school year on Aug. 31, the Philadelphia school district – along with others across the state and nation – has been struggling to find enough school bus drivers to meet its needs. Parents have taken to social media to share stories of children not getting to school on time, not getting home for hours, or being left off at the wrong bus stop.

The impact of the shortage continues to be “pretty strong,” Hite said, acknowledging that many students are “not showing up on time and not being returned home in a timely manner.” The district itself maintains a bus fleet to transport some of its own students and has three bus driver vacancies, Hite said. But the major problem is a labor shortage among the contractors it pays to transport most students, including those attending private and charter schools.

The district is responsible for transporting 45,477 students each day. Students travel by bus, cab and van. Most of its own students transported are those with disabilities, and younger students who live more than a mile-and-a-half from their school or need to cross hazardous routes to get there.

Due to the driver shortage, the district also changed start times for most schools, with most starting at 7:30 a.m., 8:15 a.m. or 9 a.m. That means the same bus could make three runs each morning and afternoon. The upheaval has caused consternation among many families who had to rearrange their own schedules to deal with the last minute changes.

Hite said that many National Guard members have commercial drivers’ licenses, which would allow them to drive a van. They would also have to undergo special training.

This week, Gov. Charlie Baker deployed Massachusetts National Guard members to help drive children to school in several districts. About 250 members were participating in training starting Tuesday.

Philadelphia is also paying parents to provide their own transportation, and recently doubled the amount per month from $150 to $300 as a further incentive. Hite said that so far 2,000 parents have signed up and the district has planned for as many as 10,000 families to choose this option. Last school year, when the district offered hybrid schooling from March through June, 4,000 families signed up for a similar program, he said.

“We’re getting calls every day,” he said.

Hite also said that he would reach out to Amazon, which announced it was creating 4,800 jobs in Philadelphia, to see if it could help, but he wasn’t sure how. He suspected that Amazon’s hiring could worsen the situation because it would be competing for the same pool of workers as the district.

“This is not a problem that money can solve in and of itself,” Hite said.